JAMES    K.MOFFITT 


PAULINE  FORE  MOFFITT 
LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
GENERAL  LIBRARY,  BERKELEY 


-if(^o 


THE   ROMANCE   OF   NAMES 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  WORDS 


ERNEST  WEEKLEY.  M.A. 

Those  interested  in  the  curiosities  of  lan- 
guage will  find  a  veritable  feast  in  this  volume. 

The  book  is  popular  in  the  best  sense  :  that 
is  to  say,  Mr.  Weekley  does  not  presuppose 
any  profound  knowledge  of  language^  in  his 
readers,  and  he  is  contented  to  surprise,  in- 
terest, and  amuse  without  attempting  to  draw 
a  moral  or  bother  one  with  theorizing. 

"A  scholarly,  yet  diverting  book," — "A 
very  fascinating  book," — "More  fascinating 
than  a  novel," — "A  really  delightful  book," 
are  among  the  nany  compliments  paid  "  THE 
ROMANCE  OF  WORDS"  by  the  reviewers. 


THE  ROMANCE  OF 

NAMES 


BY 

ERNEST  ^EEKLEY,    M.A. 

PROFESSOR   OF   FRENCH   AND    HEAD   OF  THE   MODERN    LANGUAGE 

DEPARTMENT  AT   UNIVERSITY  COLLEGE,  NOTTINGHAM;  SOMETIME 

SCHOLAR   OF   TRINITY   COLLEGE,   CAMBRIDGE 


NEW  YORK 
E.  P.  BUTTON  &  COMPANY 

1914 


Addfc 
GIFT 


PREFACE 


The  interpretation  of  personal  names  has  always  had 
an  attraction  for  the  learned  and  others,  but  the  first 
attempts  to  classify  and  explain  our  English  surnames 
date,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes,  from  1605.  In  that 
year  Verstegan  published  his  Restitution  of  Decayed 
Intelligence,  which  contains  chapters  on  both  font- 
names  and  surnames,  and  about  the  same  time  ap- 
peared Camden's  Remains  Concerning  Britain,  in  which 
the  same  subjects  are  treated  much  more  fully.  Both 
of  these  learned  antiquaries  make  excellent  reading, 
and  much  curious  information  may  be  gleaned  from 
their  pages,  especially  those  of  Camden,  whose  position 
as  Clarencieux  King-at-Arms  gave  him  exceptional 
opportunities  for  genealogical  research.  From  the 
philological  point  of  view  they  are  of  course  untrust- 
worthy, though  less  so  than  most  modern  writers  on 
the  same  subject. 

About  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the 
period  of  Archbishop  Trench  and  Canon  Taylor,  began  a 
kind  of  boom  in  works  of  this  kind,  and  books  on  sur- 
names are  now  numerous.  But  of  all  these  industrious 
compilers  one  only,  Bardsley,  can  be  taken  seriously. 
His  Dictionary  of  English  Surnames,  published  (Oxford 
Press,  1 901)  from  his  notes  some  years  after  his  death, 
is  invaluable  to  students.     It  represents  the  results  of 


^59 


VI 


PREFACE 


twenty  years'  conscientious  research  among  early  roUs 
and  registers,  the  explanations  given  being  usually  sup- 
ported by  medieval  instances.  But  it  cannot  be  used 
uncritically,  for  the  author  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  either  a  linguist  or  a  philologist,  and,  although  he 
usually  refrains  from  etymological  conjecture,  he  occa- 
sionally ventures  \vith  disastrous  results.  Thus,  to  take 
a  few  instances,  he  identifies  Prust  with  Priest,  but  the 
medieval  le  prust  is  quite  obviously  the  Norman  form 
of  Old  Fr.  le  proust,  the  provost.  He  attempts  to 
connect  Pullen  with  the  archaic  Eng.  pullen,  poultry ; 
but  his  early  examples,  le  pulein,  polayn,  etc.,  are  of 
course  Fr.  Poulain,  i.e.  Colt.  Under  Fallows,  explained 
as  "  fallow  lands,"  he  quotes  three  examples  of  de  la 
faleyse,  i.e.  Fr.  Falaise,  corresponding  to  our  Cliff, 
Cleeve,  etc. ;  Pochin,  explained  as  the  diminutive  of 
some  personal  name,  is  the  Norman  form  of  the  famous 
name  Poussin,  i.e.  Chick.  Or,  coming  to  native  in- 
stances, le  wenchel,  a  medieval  prototype  of  Winkle,  is 
explained  as  for  "  periwinkle,"  whereas  it  is  a  common 
Middle-English  word,  originally  a  diminutive  of 
wench,  and  means  Child.  The  obsolete  Swordslipper, 
now  only  Slipper,  which  he  interprets  as  a  maker  of 
"  sword-slips,"  orsheaths,was  really  a  sword-sharpener, 
from  Mid.  Eng.  slipen,  cognate  with  Old  Du.  slijpen, 
to  polish,  sharpen,  and  Ger.  schleifen.  Sometimes  a  very 
simple  problem  is  left  unexplained,  e.g.  in  the  case  of 
the  name  Tyas,  where  the  medieval  instances  of  le 
tyeis  are  to  a  student  of  Old  French  clearly  le  tieis  or 
tiois,  i.e.  the  German,  cognate  with  Ger.  deutsch  and 
Ital.  tedesco. 

These  examples  are  quoted,  not  in  depreciation  of 
a  conscientious  student  to  whose  work  my  own  com- 
pilation is  greatly  indebted,  but  merely  to  show  that 


PREFACE  vii 

the  etymological  study  of  surnames  has  scarcely  been 
touched  at  present,  except  by  writers  to  whom  philo- 
logy is  an  unknown  science.  I  have  inserted,  as  a 
specimen  problem  (ch.  xvi.),  a  Uttle  disquisition  on  the 
name  Rutter,  a  cursory  perusal  of  which  will  convince 
most  readers  that  it  is  not  much  use  making  shots  in 
this  subject. 

]\Iy  aim  has  been  to  steer  a  clear  course  between  a  too 
learned  and  a  too  superficial  treatment,  and  rather  to 
show  how  surnames  are  formed  than  to  adduce  in- 
numerable examples  which  the  reader  should  be  able 
to  solve  for  himself.  I  have  made  no  attempt  to  collect 
curious  names,  but  have  taken  those  which  occur  in 
the  London  Directory  (1908)  or  have  caught  my  eye  in 
the  newspaper  or  the  streets.  To  go  into  proofs  would 
have  swelled  the  book  beyond  all  reasonable  propor- 
tions, but  the  reader  may  assume  that,  in  the  case  of 
any  derivation  not  expressly  stated  as  a  conjecture, 
the  connecting  Hnks  exist.  In  the  various  classes  of 
names,  I  have  intentionally  omitted  all  that  is  obvious, 
except  in  the  rather  frequent  case  of  the  obvious  being 
wrong.  The  index,  which  I  have  tried  to  make  com- 
plete, is  intended  to  replace  to  some  extent  those  cross- 
references  which  are  useful  to  students  but  irritating 
to  the  general  reader.  Hundreds  of  names  are  sus- 
ceptible of  two,  three,  or  more  explanations,  and  I 
do  not  profess  to  be  exhaustive. 

The  subject-matter  is  divided  into  a  number  of  rather 
short  chapters,  dealing  with  the  various  classes  and 
subdivisions  into  which  surnames  fall ;  but  the 
natural  association  which  exists  between  names  has 
often  prevailed  over  rigid  classification.  The  quota- 
tions by  which  obsolete  words  are  illustrated  are 
taken  as  far  as  possible  from  Chaucer,  whose  writings 


viii  PREFACE 

date  from  the  very  period  when  our  surnames  were 
gradually  becoming  hereditary.  I  have  also  quoted 
extensively  from  the  Promptorium  Parvulorum,  our 
earliest  English-Latin  Dictionary  (1440). 

In  ch.  vii,  on  Anglo-Saxon  names,  I  have  ob- 
tained some  help  from  a  paper  by  the  late  Professor 
Skeat  {Transactions  of  the  Philological  Society,  1907-10, 
pp.  57-85)  and  from  the  materials  contained  in 
Searle's  valuable  Onomasticon  Anglo-Saxoniciim  (Cam- 
bridge, 1897).  Among  several  works  which  I  have  con- 
sulted on  French  and  German  family  names,  the  most 
useful  have  been  Heintze's  Deutsche  Familiennamen, 
3rd  ed.  (Halle  a.  S.,  1908)  and  Kremers'  Bcitrdge  zur 
Erforschung  der  franzosischen  Familiennamen  (Bonn, 
igio).  The  comparative  method  which  I  have  adopted, 
especially  in  explaining  nicknames  (ch.  xxi),  will  be 
found,  I  think,  to  clear  up  a  good  many  dark  points. 
Of  books  on  names  pubHshed  in  this  country,  only 
Bardsley's  Dictionary  has  been  of  any  considerable 
assistance,  though  I  have  gleaned  some  scraps  of  infor- 
mation here  and  there  from  other  compilations.  My 
real  sources  have  been  the  lists  of  medieval  names 
foimd  in  Domesday  Book,  the  Pipe  Rolls,  the  Hundred 
Rolls,  and  in  the  numerous  historical  records  published 
by  the  Government  and  by  various  antiquarian 
societies. 

Ernest  Weekley. 


Nottingham, 

September  191 3. 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

OF   SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL         ....  I 

CHAPTER    n 

A  MEDIEVAL   ROLL 13 

CHAPTER    HI 

SPELLING   AND   SOUND        .....         27 

CHAPTER    IV 

BROWN,    JONES   AND   ROBINSON  ...         43 

CHAPTER    V 

THE   ABSORPTION   OF   FOREIGN   NAMES  .  .         49 

CHAPTER    VI 

TOM,    DICK    AND    HARRY      .....         56 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    VII 


PAGE 


GODERIC   AND   GODIVA        .....         68 

CHAPTER    VIII 

PALADINS   AND    HEROES      .....         78 

CHAPTER    IX 

THE   BIBLE   AND   THE   CALENDAR  ...         84 

CHAPTER    X 

METRONYMICS.  ......         92 

CHAPTER    XI 

LOCAL  SURNAMES       ......         96 

CHAPTER    XII 

SPOT   NAMES     .......       102 

CHAPTER    XIII 

THE   HAUNTS   OF   MAN 120 


CONTENTS  xi 


CHAPTER    XIV 


CHAPTER    XVI 

A   SPECIMEN    PROBLEM 

CHAPTER    XVII 

THE   CANTERBURY   PILGRIMS 


PAGE 


NORMAN    BLOOD  .  .  .  •  •  •       ^37 

CHAPTER    XV 

OF  OCCUPATIVE   NAMES      .....       143 


.       158 


.       162 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

TRADES   AND   CRAFTS 168 

CHAPTER    XIX 

HODGE   AND    HIS   FRIENDS  .  -  •  177 

CHAPTER    XX 

OFFICIAL   AND   DOMESTIC 183 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    XXI 

PAGE 

OF    NICKNAMES    IN    GENERAL       ....       189 

CHAPTER    XXII 

ADJECTIVAL   NICKNAMES 2o8 

CHAPTER    XXIII 

BIRDS,    BEASTS,    AND    FISHES       .  .  .  .       217 

INDEX 231 


The  following  dictionaries  are  quoted  without  further  refer- 
ence : 

Promptoriiim    Pannilorum     (1440),     ed.     Mayhew     (E.E.T.S., 

1908). 
Palsgrave,  L'Esclarcisseineni  de  la  langue  francoyse  (1530), 

ed.  Genin  (Paris,  1852). 
Cooper,    Thesaiivus   Lingucs  Romanes  el  BritanniccB  (London, 

1573)- 
CoTGRAVE,  A    Dictionavie  of  the  French  and  English  Tongues 
(London,   161 1). 

The  Middle  English  quotations,  except  where  otherwise 
stated,  are  from  Chaucer,  the  references  being  to  the  Globe 
edition. 


The  Author  has  in  preparation  a  comprehensive 
Dictionary  of  English  Surnames  and  would  be 
glad  to  receive  contributions  from  readers  interested 
in   the  subject. 

Information  is  especially  desired    on — 

(i)  Existence  and  locality  of  unusual    names 
or  unusual  variants  of  familiar  names  ; 

(ii)  Survival  of  names  which   might  be  sup- 
posed to  be  extinct  ; 

(iii)  Medieval  records  which  appear  likely  to 
throw  light  on    modern   forms. 

It  will  be  a  convenience  if  such  contributions  are 
written,  as  concisely  as  possible,  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only,  and  forwarded  to  Miss  Weekley, 
49,   Harvard   Road,  Chiswick,   W. 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  NAMES 


CHAPTER    I 

OF   SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

"  The  French  and  we  termed  them  Surnames,  not  because  they 
are  the  names  of  the  Sire,  or  the  father,  but  because  they  are  super- 
added  to  Christian  names." 

(Camden,  Remains  concerning  Britain.) 

The  study  of  the  origin  of  family  names  is  at  the 
same  time  quite  simple  and  very  difficult.  Its  sim- 
plicity consists  in  the  fact  that  surnames  can  only 
come  into  existence  in  certain  well-understood  ways. 
Its  difficulty  is  due  to  the  extraordinary  perversions 
which  names  undergo  in  common  speech,  to  the  ortho- 
graphic uncertainty  of  our  ancestors,  to  the  frequent 
coalescence  of  two  or  more  names  of  quite  different 
origin,  and  to  the  multitudinous  forms  which  one 
single  name  can  assume,  such  forms  being  due  to 
local  pronunciation,  accidents  of  spelling,  date  of 
assumption,  and  many  minor  causes.  It  must  always 
be  remembered  that  the  majority  of  our  surnames 
come  from  the  various  dialects  of  Middle  English,  i.e. 
of  a  language  very  different  from  our  owti  in  spelling 

2  I 


2  OF  SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

and  sound,  full  of  words  that  are  now  obsolete,  and 
of  others  which  have  completely  changed  their  form 
and  meaning. 

If  we  take  any  medieval  roll  of  names,  we  see  al- 
most at  a  glance  that  four  such  individuals  as — 

John  fllius  Simon 
William  dc  la  Moor 
Richard  le  Spicer 
Robert  le  Long 

exhaust  the  possibilities  of  English  name-making — i.e. 
that  every  surname  must  be  (i)  personal,  from  a  sire 
or  ancestor,  (ii)  local,  from  place  of  residence,^  (iii) 
occupative,  from  trade  or  office,  (iv)  a  nickname,  from 
bodily  attributes,  character,  etc. 

This  can  easily  be  illustrated  from  any  list  of  names 
taken  at  random.  The  Rugby  team  chosen  to  represent 
the  East  Midlands  against  Kent  (January  22,  1913) 
consisted  of  the  following  fifteen  names:  Hancock; 
Mobbs,  Poulton,  Hudson,  Cook ;  Watson,  Earl ;  Bull, 
Muddiman,  Collins,  Tebbiii,  Lacey,  Hall,  Osborne, 
Manton.  Some  of  these  are  simple,  but  others  require 
a  little  knowledge  for  their  explanation.  There  are 
seven  personal  names,  and  the  first  of  these,  Hancock, 
is  rather  a  problem.  This  is  usually  explained  as 
from  Flemish  Hanke,  Johnny,  while  the  origin  of  the 
suffix  -cock  has  never  been  very  clearly  accounted  for 
(see  p.  65).     With  Hancock  we  may  compare  Hankin. 

1  This  is  by  far  the  largest  class,  counting  by  names,  not  indi- 
viduals, and  many  names  for  which  I  give  another  explanation 
have  also  a  local  origin.  Thus,  when  I  say  that  Ely  is  Old  Fr. 
Elie,  i.e.  Elias,  I  assume  that  the  reader  will  know  without  being 
told  that  it  must  have  an  alternative  explanation  from  Ely  in 
ambridgeshire. 


PERSONAL  NAMES  3 

But,  while  the  Flemish  derivation  is  possible  for 
these  two  names,  it  will  not  explain  Hanson,^  which 
sometimes  becomes  Hansotti  (p.  36).  According  to 
Camden,  there  is  evidence  that  Han  was  also  used 
as  a  rimed  form  of  Ran,  short  for  Ranolf  and  Randolf 
(cf.  Hob  from  Robert,  Hick  from  Richard),  very  popular 
names  in  the  north  during  the  surname  period.  In 
Hankin  and  Hancock  this  Han  would  naturally  coalesce 
with  the  Flemish  Hanke.  This  would  also  explain  the 
names  Hand  for  Rand,  and  Hands,  Hance  for  Rands, 
Ranee.  Mohhs  is  the  same  as  Mabbs  (cf.  Moggy  for 
Maggy),  and  Mabbs  is  the  genitive  of  Mab,  i.e.  Mabel, 
for  Amabel.  We  have  the  diminutive  in  Mappin  and 
the  patronymic  in  Mapleson.  Hudson  is  the  son  of 
Hud,  a  very  common  medieval  name,  which  seems  to 
represent  Anglo-Saxon  Hudda  (p.  75),  though  there 
is  some  evidence  that  it  was  also  used  for  Richard. 
Watson  is  the  son  of  Wat,  i.e.  Walter,  from  the  Old  N.E. 
Fr.  Wautier  (Gautier),  regularly  pronounced  Water  at 
one  time — 

"  My  name  is  Walter  Whitmore. 
How  now  !    Why  start'st  thou  ?    \Miat !    doth  death  affright  ? 

Suffolk.     Thy  name  affrights  me,  in  whose  sound  is  death. 
A  cunning  man  did  calculate  my  birth, 
And  told  me  that  by  water  I  should  die." 

(2  Henry   VI,  iv.   i.) 

Hence  the  name  Waters,  which  has  not  usually  any 
connection  with  water ;  while  Waterman,  though  some- 
times occupative,  is  also  formed  from  Walter,  like 
Hickman  from  Hick  (see  p.  64).  Collins  is  from  Colin, 
a  French   diminutive    of   Col,  i.e.   Nicol    or    Nicolas. 

^  The  existence  of  such  place-names  as  Hanbnry,  Hanley,  Hanwell, 
Hanworth,  Ha^idsworth,  etc.,  precludes  a  purely  Flemish  origin  for 
Han. 


4  OF  SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

Tebbitt  is  a  diminutive  of  Theobald,  a  favourite  medieval 
name  which  had  the  shortened  forms  Teb,  Tib,  Tub, 
whence  a  number  of  derivatives.  But  names  in  Teb- 
and  Tib-  may  also  come  from  Isabel  (p.  94).  Osborne 
is  the  Anglo-Saxon  name  Osbeorn. 

Of  course,  each  of  these  personal  names  has  a 
meaning,  e.g.  Amabel,  ultimately  Latin,  means  lovable, 
and  Walter,  a  Germanic  name,  means  ' '  rule  army 
(Modern  Ger.  walten  and  Heer),  but  the  discussion  of 
such  meanings  lies  outside  our  subject.  It  is,  in  fact, 
sometimes  difficult  to  distinguish  between  the  personal 
name  and  the  nickname.  Thus  Pagan,  whence  Payn, 
with  its  diminutives  Pannell,  Pennell,  etc.,  Gold,  Good, 
German,  whence  Jermyn,  Jarman,  and  many  other 
apparent  nicknames,  occur  as  personal  names  in  the 
earhest  records.  Their  etymological  origin  is  in  any 
case  the  same  as  if  they  were  nicknames. 

To  return  to  our  football  team,  Poulton,  Lacey,  Hall, 
and  Manton  are  local.  There  are  several  villages  in 
Cheshire  and  Lancashire  named  Poulton,  i.e.  the  town 
or  homestead  (p.  123)  by  the  pool.  Lacey  occurs  in 
Domesday  Book  as  de  Laci,  from  some  small  spot  in 
Normandy,  probably  the  hamlet  of  Lassy  (Calvados). 
Hall  is  due  to  residence  near  the  great  house  of  the 
neighbourhood.  If  Hall's  ancestor's  name  had  chanced 
to  be  put  down  in  Anglo-French  as  de  la  sale,  he  might 
now  be  known  as  Sale,  or  even  as  Saul.  Manton  is 
the  name  of  places  in  Lincolnshire  and  Northampton- 
shire, so  that  this  player,  at  any  rate,  has  an  ancestral 
qualification  for  the  East  Midlands. 

The  only  true  occupative  name  in  the  list  is  Cook,  for 
Earl  is  a  nickname.  Cook  was  perhaps  the  last  occu- 
pative title  to  hold  its  own  against  the  inherited  name. 
Justice  Shallow,  welcoming  Sir  John  Falstaff,  says — 


NICKNAMES  5 

"  Some  pigeons,  Davy  ;  a  couple  of  short-legged  hens,  a  joint 
of  mutton,  and  any  pretty  little  tiny  kickshaws.  Tell  William 
Cook"  (2  Henry  IV,  v.  i.). 

And  students  of  the  Ingoldsby  Legends  will  remember 
that— 

"Ellen  Bean   ruled  his  cuisine. — He   called   her  Nelly   Cook." 

(Nell  Cook,  1.   33.) 

There  are  probably  a  goodly  number  of  housewives 
of  the  present  day  who  would  be  at  a  loss  if  suddenly 
asked  for  "cook's  "  name  in  full.  It  may  be  noted  that 
Lequeux  means  exactly  the  same,  and  is  of  identical 
origin,  archaic  Fr.  le  qtieux,  Lat.  coquus,  while  Kew  is 
sometimes  for  Anglo-Fr.  le  keu,  where  keu  is  the  ac- 
cusative of  queiix  (see  p.  9,  n.). 

The  nicknames  are  Earl,  Bull,  and  Muddiman. 
Nicknames  such  as  Earl  may  have  been  acquired  in 
various  ways  (see  p.  144).  Bull  and  Muddiman  are 
singularly  appropriate  for  Rugby  scrummagers,  though 
the  first  may  be  from  an  inn  or  shop  sign,  rather  than 
from  physique  or  character.  It  is  equivalent  to 
Thoreau,  Old  Fr.  toreau  {taureau).  Muddiman  is  for 
Moodyman,  where  moody  has  its  older  meaning  of 
valiant ;  cf .  its  German  cognate  mutig.  The  weather 
on  the  day  in  question  gave  a  certain  fitness  both  to 
the  original  meaning  and  the  later  form. 

The  above  names  are,  with  the  exception  of  Hancock, 
Hudson,  and  Muddiman,  easy  to  solve  ;  but  it  must 
not  be  concluded  that  every  list  is  as  simple,  or  that 
the  obvious  is  always  right.  The  first  page  of  Bards- 
ley's  Dictionary  of  Surnames  might  well  serve  as  a 
danger-signal  to  cocksure  writers  on  this  subject. 
The  names  Abbey  and  Abbott  would  naturally  seem 
to  go  back  to  an  ancestor  who  lived  in  or  near  an 
abbey,  and  to  another  who  had  been  nicknamed  the 


6  OF   SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

abbot.  But  Abbey  is  usually  from  the  Anglo-French 
entry  le  abbe,  the  abbot,  and  Abbott  is  often  a 
diminutive  of  Ab,  standing  for  Abel,  or  Abraham,  the 
first  of  which  was  a  favourite  medieval  font-name. 
Francis  Holyoak  describes  himself  on  the  title-page 
of  his  Latin  Dictionary  (1612)  as  Franciscus  de  Sacra 
Quercu,  but  his  name  comes  from  the  holly  oak,  or 
holm  oak  (see  p.  118).  On  the  other  hand,  Holliman 
generally  occurs  in  early  rolls  as  hali  or  holi  man, 
i.e.  holy  man. 

It  may  be  stated  here,  once  for  all,  that  etymolo- 
gies of  names  which  are  based  on  medieval  latiniza- 
tions,  family  mottoes,  etc.,  are  always  to  be  regarded 
with  suspicion,  as  they  involve  the  reversing  of  chrono- 
logy, or  the  explanation  of  a  name  by  a  pun  which  has 
been  made  from  it.  We  find  Lilbtirne  latinized  as  de 
insula  fontis,  as  though  it  were  the  impossible  hybrid 
de  risk  burn,  and  Beaufoy  sometimes  as  de  bella  fide, 
whereas  foy  is  the  Old  French  for  beech,  from  Lat. 
fagus.  Napier  of  Merchiston  had  the  motto  n'a  pier, 
"  has  no  equal,"  and  described  himself  on  title-pages 
as  the  Nonpareil,  but  his  ancestor  was  a  servant  who 
looked  after  the  napery.  With  Holyoak' s  rendering  of 
his  own  name  we  may  compare  Parkinson's  "  latiniza- 
tion"  of  his  name  in  his  famous  book  on  gardening(i629), 
which  bears  the  title  Paradisi  in  Sole  Paradisus  Terres- 
tris,  i.e.  the  Earthly  Paradise  of  "Park  in  Sun." 

Many  noble  names  have  an  anecdotic  "  explanation." 
I  learnt  at  school  that  Percy  came  from  pierce-eye, 
in  allusion  to  a  treacherous  exploit  at  Alnwick.  The 
Lesleys  claim  descent  from  a  hero  who  overthrew  a 
Hungarian  champion — 

"  Between  the  less  lee  and  the  mair 
He  slew  the  knight  and  left  him  there." 

{Quentin  Durward,  ch.  xxxvii.) 


MYTHICAL    ETYMOLOGIES  7 

Similarly,  the  great  name  of  Courtenay,  Courtney,  of 
French  local  origin,  is  derived  in  an  Old  French  epic 
from  court  nez,  short  nose,  an  epithet  conferred  on  the 
famous  Guillaume  d'Orange,  who,  when  the  sword  of 
a  Saracen  giant  removed  this  important  feature, 
exclaimed    undauntedly — 

"  Mais  que  mon  nes  ai  un  poi  acorcie, 
Bien  sai  mes  nons  en  sera  alongie.''^ 

[Li  Coronemenz  Loots,  1.   11 59.) 

I  read  lately  in  some  newspaper  that  the  original  Lock- 
hart  took  the  "  heart  "  of  the  Bruce  to  the  Holy  Land  in 
a  "  locked  "  casket.  Practically  every  famous  Scottish 
name  has  a  yarn  connected  with  it,  the  gem  perhaps 
being  that  which  accounts  for  Guthrie.  A  Scottish 
kmg,  it  is  said,  landed  weary  and  hungry  as  the  sole 
survivor  of  a  shipwreck.  He  approached  a  woman 
who  was  gutting  fish,  and  asked  her  to  prepare  one 
for  him.  The  kindly  fishwife  at  once  repHed,  "  I'll 
gut  three."  Whereupon  the  king,  dropping  into  rime 
with  a  readiness  worthy  of  Mr.  Wegg,  said — 

"Then  gut  three,  Your  name  shall  be," 

and  conferred  a  suitable  estate  on  his  benefactress. 
After  all,  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction.  There  is 
quite  enough  legitimate  cause  for  wonderment  in  the 
fact  that  Tyas  is  letter  for  letter  the  same  name  as 
Douch,  or  that  Strangeways,  from  a  district  in  Man- 
chester which,  lying  between  the  Irwell  and  the  Irk, 
was  formerly  subject  to  floods,  is  etymologically 
strong-wash.  The  Joannes  Acutus  whose  tomb  stands 
in  Florence  is  the  great  free-lance  captain  Sir  John 

1  "  Though  I  have  my  nose  a  little  shortened,  I  know  well  that  my 
name  will  be  thereby  lengthened." 


8  OF   SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

Hawkwood,  "  omitting  the  h  in  Latin  as  frivolous,  and 
the  k  and  w  as  nnusual  "  (Verstegan,  Restitution  of 
Decayed  Intelligence,  ch.  ix),  which  makes  him  almost 
as  unrecognizable  as  that  Peter  Gower,  the  supposed 
founder  of  freemasonry,  who  turned  out  to  be  Pythag- 
oras. 

Many  names  are  susceptible  of  two,  three,  or  more 
explanations.  This  is  especially  true  of  some  of  our 
commonest  monosyllabic  surnames.  Bell  may  be 
from  Anglo-Fr.  le  bel  (beau),  or  from  a  shop  sign, 
or  from  residence  near  the  church  or  town  bell.  It 
may  even  have  been  applied  to  the  man  who  pulled 
the  bell.  Finally,  the  ancestor  may  have  been 
a  lady  called  Isabel,  a  supposition  which  does  not 
necessarily  imply  illegitimacy  (see  p.  92).  Ball  is 
sometimes  the  shortened  form  of  the  once  favourite 
Baldwin.  It  is  also  from  a  shop  sign,  and  perhaps  most 
frequently  of  all  is  for  bald.  The  latter  word  is  pro- 
perly balled,  i.e.,  marked  with  a  ball,^  or  wliite  streak, 
a  word  of  Celtic  origin  ;  cf.  piebald,  i.e.,  balled  like  a 
(mag)pie,  and  the  bald-faced  stag.  From  the  same 
word  we  get  the  augmentative  Ballard,  used,  according 
to  Wyclif,  by  the  little  boys  who  unwisely  called  to 
an  irritable  prophet — 

"  Stey  up  ballard"    (2  Kings  ii.  23). 

The  name  may  also  be  personal,  Anglo-Sax.  Beal- 
heard.  Rowe  may  be  local,  from  residence  in  a  row 
(cf.  Fr.  Delarue),  or  it  may  be  an  accidental  spelling 

1  Halliwell  notes  that  the  nickname  Ball  is  the  name  of  a 
horse  in  Chaucer  and  Tusser,  of  a  sheep  in  the  Promptorium 
Parvulorum,  and  of  a  dog  in  the  Privy  Purse  Expenses  of 
Henry  VIII.  In  each  case  the  name  alludes  to  a  white  mark,  or 
what  horsy  people  call  a  star.  A  cow  thus  marked  is  called  in 
Scotland  a  boasand  cow,  and  from  the  same  word  comes  the 
obsolete  bawso7t,  badger. 


ALTERNATIVE    ORIGINS  9 

of  the  nickname  Roe,  which  also  survives  in  the  IMid. 
Enghsh  form  Ray  (p.  223).  But  Roiv  was  also  the 
shortened  form  of  Rowland,  or  Roland.  Cobb  is  an 
Anglo-Saxon  name,  as  in  the  local  Cobham,  but  it  is 
also  from  the  first  syllable  of  Cobbold  (Cuthbeald)  and 
the  second  of  Jacob.  It  has  the  diminutives  Cobbin 
and  Coppin. 

Or,  to  take  some  less  common  names.  House  not  only 
represents  the  medieval  de  la  house,  but  also  stands  for 
Howes,  which,  in  its  turn,  may  be  the  plural  of  how,  a 
hill  (p.  106),  or  the  genitive  of  How,  one  of  the  numer- 
ous medieval  forms  of  Hugh  (p.  59).  Barnett  is  some- 
times local,  but,  in  most  cases,  represents  Bernard, 
many  of  our  Bametts  being  German  Jews.  But  in 
\Mlliam  del  barnet,  who  died  in  1348,  we  have  a  variant 
of  Burnet,  burn  head  (see  p.  115).  Rouse  is  generally 
Fr.  roux,  i.e.  the  red,  but  it  may  also  be  the  nomina- 
tive ^  form  of  Rou,  i.e.  of  Rolf,  or  Rollo,  the  sea-king 
who  conquered  Normandy.  Was  Hoi  man  the  holy 
man,  the  man  who  lived  near  a  holm,  i.e.  holly  (p.  118), 
on  a  holm,  or  river  island  (p.  117),  or  in  a  hole,  or 
hollow  ?    All  these  origins  have  equal  claims. 

As  a  rule,  when  an  apparent  nickname  is  also  sus- 
ceptible of  another  solution,  baptismal,  local,  or  occupa- 
tive,  the  alternative  explanation  is  to  be  preferred, 
as  the  popular  tendency  has  always  been  towards 
twisting  names  into  significant  words.  Thus,  to  take 
an  example  of  each  class.  Diamond  is  for  an  old  per- 
sonal name  Dimond,  Portwine  is  a  corruption  of 
Poitevin,  the  man  from  Poitou   (p.   99),  and   Tipler, 

1  Old  French  had  a  declension  in  two  cases.  The  nominative, 
which  has  now  almost  disappeared,  was  usually  distinguished  by  -s. 
This  survives  in  a  few  words,  e.g.  fils,  and  proper  names  such  as 
Charles,  Jules,  etc. 


10  OF  SURNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

which  now  suggests  alcohoUc  excess,  was,  as  late  as 
the  seventeenth  century,  the  regular  name  for  an  ale- 
house keeper. 

Thus  in  a  very  large  number  of  cases  there  is  a  con- 
siderable choice  for  the  modern  bearer  of  a  name.  Any 
Boon  or  Bone  who  wishes  to  assert  that — 

"  Of  Hereford's  high  blood  he  came, 
A  race  renown'd  for  knightly  fame  " 

[Lord  of  the  Isles,  vi.   15), 

can  claim  descent  from  de  Bohun.  While,  if  he  holds 
that  kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets,  he  has  an 
alternative  descent  from  some  medieval  le  ban.  This 
adjective,  used  as  a  personal  name,  gave  also  Bunn 
and  Bunce ;  for  the  spelling  of  the  latter  name  cf. 
Dance  for  Dans,  and  Pearce  for  Piers,  the  nominative 
of  Pierre  (see  p.  9,  n.),  which  also  survives  in  Pears 
and  Pearson.  Swain  may  go  back  to  the  father  of 
Canute,  or  to  some  hoary-headed  swain  who,  possibly, 
tended  the  swine.  Not  all  the  Seymours  are  St. 
Maurs.  Some  of  them  were  once  Seamers,  i.e. 
tailors.  Gosling  is  rather  trivial,  but  it  represents  the 
romantic  Jocelyn,  in  Normandy  Gosselin,  a  diminu- 
tive of  the  personal  name  Josse,  Lat.  Jodocus.  Goss 
is  usually  for  goose,  but  any  Goss,  or  Gossett,  unwilling 
to  trace  his  family  back  to  John  Goose,  "  my  lord  of 
Yorkes  fole,"  ^  may  likewise  choose  the  French  Josse 
or  Gosse.  Goss  may  also  be  a  dialect  pronunciation  of 
gorse,  the  older  form  of  which  has  given  the  name 
Gorst.  Coward,  though  humble,  cow-herd,  is  no  more 
timid  than  Craven,  the  name  of  a  district  in  the  West 
Riding  of  Yorkshire. 

Mr.  Chucks,  when  in  good  society,  "  seldom  bowed, 

1  Privy  Purse  Expenses  of  Elizabeth  of  York  (1502). 


NAMES    DESIRABLE    OR    UNDESIRABLE      ii 

sir,  to  anything  under  three  syllables"  {Peter  Simple, 
ch.  xvii.).  But  the  length  of  a  name  is  not  necessarily 
an  index  of  a  noble  meaning.  As  will  be  seen  (pp.  74,  5 ), 
a  great  number  of  our  monosyllabic  names  belong  to 
the  oldest  stratum  of  all.  The  boatswain's  own  name, 
from  Norman-Fr.  chouque,  a  tree-stump,  is  identical 
with  the  rather  aristocratic  Zouch  or  Such,  from  the 
usual  French  form  souche.  Stithhs,  which  has  the 
same  meaning,  may  be  compared  with  Curzon,  Fr. 
courson,  a  stump,  a  derivative  of  court,  short.  Pomeroy 
has  a  lordly  ring,  but  is  the  Old  French  for  Applegarth 
or  Appleyard  (p.  142),  and  Camay s  means  flat-nosed, 
Fr.  camus — 

"  This  wenche  thikke  and  wel  y-growen  was, 
With  kamiise  nose,  and  eyen  greye  as  glas." 

(A,  3973-) 

Kingsley,  speaking  of  the  name  assumed  by  John 
Briggs,  says— 

"  Vavasour  was  a  very  pretty  name,  and  one  of  those  which  is 
[sic\  supposed  by  novelists  and  young  ladies  to  be  aristocratic  ; 
why  so  is  a  puzzle  ;  as  its  plain  meaning  is  a  tenant  farmer  and 
nothing  more  or  less  "  {Two  Years  Ago,  ch.  xi.). 

The  word  is  interesting,  because  it  is  one  of  the  few 
instances  of  a  Latin  genitive  plural  having  passed 
into  French.  It  represents  a  Vulgar  Lat.  vassus 
vassorum,  vassal  of  vassals. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  a  homely  name  has  a 
complimentary  meaning.  Mr.  Wegg  did  not  like  the 
name  Boffin,  but  its  oldest  form  is  bon-fin,  good  and 
fine.  In  1273  Mr.  Bumble's  name  was  spelt  bon-bel, 
good  and  beautiful.  With  these  we  may  group 
Bunker,  of  which  the  oldest  form  is  bon-quer  {bon 
cceur),  and  Boffey,  which  corresponds  to  the  common 


12  OF  SURNAMES  IN   GENERAL 

French  name  Bonnefoy,  good  faith;  while  the  much 
more  assertive  Beaufoy  means  simply  fine  beech  (p.  6). 
With  Bunker  we  may  compare  Goodhart  and  Cor- 
deaux,  the  oldest  form  of  the  latter  being  the  French 
name  Cceurdoux.  Momcrie  and  Mummery  are  identical 
with  Mowbray,  from  Monbrai  in  Normandy.  Moly- 
neux  impresses  more  than  Mullins,  of  which  it  is  merely 
the  dim.,  Fr.  moulins,  mills.  The  Yorkshire  name 
Tankard  is  a  perversion  of  Tancred.  Stiggins  goes 
back  to  the  illustrious  Anglo-Saxon  name  Stigand,  as 
Wiggins  does  to  wigand,  a  champion.  Cadman  repre- 
sents Caedmon,  the  name  of  the  poet-monk  of  Whitby. 
Segar  and  Sugar  are  imitative  forms  of  the  Anglo- 
Sax.  Saegger,  of  which  the  normal  modern  representa- 
tive is  Sayers.  Giblett  is  not  a  name  one  would  covet, 
but  it  stands  in  the  same  relationship  to  Gilbert  as 
Hamlet  does  to  Hamo. 

A  small  difference  in  spelling  makes  a  great  difference 
in  the  look  of  a  name.  The  aristocratic  Coke  is  an 
archaic  spelling  of  Cook,  the  still  more  lordly  Harries 
sometimes  disguises  Harris,  while  the  modern  Brassey 
is  the  same  as  de  Bracy  in  Ivanhoe.  The  rather  grisly 
Nightgall  is  a  variant  of  Nightingale.  The  accidental 
retention  of  particles  and  articles  is  also  effective,  e.g. 
Delmar,  Delamere,  Delapole,  impress  more  than  Mears 
and  Pool,  and  Larpent  (Fr.  I'arpent),  Lemattre,  and 
Lestrange  more  than  Acres,  Masters,  and  Strange.  There 
are  few  names  of  less  heroic  sound  than  Spark  and 
Codlin,  yet  the  former  is  a  contraction  of  the  pic- 
turesque Sparrow-hawk,  used  as  a  personal  name  by 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  while  the  latter  can  be  traced  back 
via  the  earlier  forms  Qiiodling  (still  found),  Querdling, 
Querdelyoun  to  Coeur  de  Lion. 


CHAPTER    II 


A    MEDIEVAL    ROLL 


"  Quelque  diversite  d'herbes  qu'il  y  ait,  tout  s'enveloppe  sous 
le  nom  de  salade  ;  de  mesme,  sous  la  consideration  des  noms,  je 
m'en  voys  faire  icy  une  galimafree  de  divers  articles." 

(Montaigne,  Essais,  i.  46.) 

Just  as,  in  studying  a  new  language,  the  linguist  finds 
it  most  helpful  to  take  a  simple  text  and  hammer  out 
in  detail  every  word  and  grammatical  form  it  contains, 
so  the  student  of  name-lore  cannot  do  better  than 
tackle  a  medieval  roll  and  try  to  connect  every  name 
in  it  with  those  of  the  present  day.     I  give  here  two 
Hsts  of  names  from  the  Hundred  Rolls  of  1273.     The 
first   contains  the  names  of  London   and  Middlesex 
jurymen,  most  of  them,  especially  the  Londoners,  men 
of  substance  and  position.     The  second  is  a  list  of 
cottagers  resident  in  the  village  of  Steeple  Claydon  in 
Bucks.     Even  a  cursory  perusal  of  these  lists  should 
suffice  to  dispel  all  recollection  of  the  nightmare  ' '  philo- 
logy "  which  has  been  so  much  employed  to  obscure 
what  is  perfectly  simple  and  obvious  ;    while  a  very 
sUght  knowledge  of  Latin  and  French  is  all  that  is 
required  to  connect  these  names  of  men  who  were 
dead  and  buried  before  the  Battle  of  Crecy  with  those 
to   be   found   in    any   modern   directory.     The   brief 
indications  supplied  under  each  name  will  be  found  in 
a  fuller  form  in  the  various  chapters  of  the  book  to 
which  references  are  given. 

13 


14  A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL 

For  simplicity  I  have  given  the  modern  EngHsh 
form  of  each  Christian  name  and  expanded  the  abbre- 
viations used  by  the  official  compilers.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  English,  Latin,  and  Anglo-French  are 
used  indifferently,  that  le  is  usually,  though  not  always, 
put  before  the  trade-name  or  nickname,  that  de  is 
put  before  place-names  and  at  before  spots  which  have 
no  proper  name.  The  names  in  the  right-hand  column 
are  only  specimens  of  the,  often  very  numerous,  modern 
equivalents. 

London  Jurymen 

Hundred  Rolls  Modern  Form 

William  Dibel.  Dibble  (Theobald). 

Initial  t-  and  d-  alternate  (p.  32)  accordmg  to  locality. 
In  Tennyson,  for  Denison,  son  of  Denis,  we  have  the 
opposite  change.  The  forms  assumed  by  Theobald 
are  very  numerous  (p.  4).  Besides  Dibble  we  have 
the  shorter  Dibb.  It  is  almost  certain  that  to  the 
same  name  we  owe  both  Double  and  Treble,  the 
latter  with  the  intrusive  -r-  which  is  not  unusual  in 
names  (p.  88,  n.  i) 

Baldwin  le  Bocher.  Butcher,  Booker,  etc. 

On  the  various  forms  of  this  name,  see  p.  149. 

Robert  Hauteyn.  Auty. 

A  Yorkshire  name.  The  omission  or  addition  of  an 
aspirate  is  very  common  (p.  38).  Cf.  Harnett  for 
Arnett,  dim.  of  Arnold. 

Henry  le  Wimpler. 

The  name  has  apparently  disappeared  with  the  gar- 
ment. But  it  is  never  safe  to  assert  that  a  surname 
is  quite  extinct. 


A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL  15 

Hundred  Rolls  Modem  Form 

Stephen  le  Feron.  Fearon. 

From  Old  Fr.  feyo7i,  smith,  from  ferir,  to  smite.  In  a 
few  cases  French  has  -on  as  an  agential  sufhx  (p.  171). 

William  de  Paris.  Paris,  Parris,  Parish. 

The  commoner  modern  form  Parish  is  seldom  to  be 
derived  from  our  word  parish.  This  rarely  occurs, 
while  the  entry  de  Paris  is,  on  the  other  hand,  very 
common. 

Roger  le  Wyn.  Wynne  (white). 

A  Celtic  nickname,  identical  with  Gwynne.  For 
other  common  nicknames  of  Celtic  origin,  see  p.  216. 

Matthew  de  Pomfrait.  Pomfi-et. 

The  usual  pronunciation  of  Pontefract,  broken  bridge, 
one  of  the  few  Enghsh  place-names  of  purely  Latin 
origin  (p.  120).  The  Old  French  form  would  be  pont- 
jrait. 

Richard  le  Paumer.  Pahner. 

A  man  who  had  made  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land 
(p.  167).  The  modern  spelling  is  restored,  but  the  -/- 
remains  mute.  It  is  just  possible  that  this  name 
sometimes  means  tennis-player,  as  tennis,  Fr.  Ic  jeu 
de  paume,  once  played  with  the  palm  of  the  hand,  is 
of  great  antiquity. 

Walter  Poletar.  Poulter. 

A  dealer  in  poults,  i.e.  fowls.  For  the  lengthened 
form  poulterer,  cf.  fruiterer  for  fruiter,  and  see  p.  155. 

Reginald  Aurifaber.  Goldsmith. 

The  French  form  orfevre  has  also  given  the  name 
Offer. 


i6  A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL 

Hundred  Rolls  Modern  Form 

Henry  Deubeneye.  Daubeney,  Dabney. 

Fr.  d'Aiibigny.  One  of  the  many  cases  in  which  the 
French  preposition  has  been  incorporated  in  the  name. 
Cf.  Danvers,  for  d'Anvers,  Antwerp,  and  see  p.  loo. 

Richard  Knotte.  Knott. 

From  Scandinavian  Cnut,  Canute.  This  name  is  also 
local,  from  knot,  a  hillock,  and  has  of  course  become 
confused  (p.  30)  with  the  nickname  Nott,  with  cropped 
hair  (p.  210). 

"  Thou  noit-'pa.ted  fool." 

(i  Henry  IV,  ii.  4.) 

Walter  le  Wyte.  White. 

The  large  number  of  Whites  is  partly  to  be  accounted 
for  by  their  having  absorbed  the  name  Wight  (p.  214) 
from  Mid.  Eng.  wiht,  valiant. 

Adam  le  Sutel.  Suttle. 

Both  Eng.  subtle  and  Fr.  subtil  are  restored 
spellings,  which  do  not  appear  in  nomenclature  (see 
p.  29). 

Fulk  de  Sancto  Edmundo.  Tedman. 

The  older  form  would  be  Tednam.  Bury  St.  Ed- 
mund's is  sometimes  referred  to  as  Tednambury.  For 
the  mutilation  of  the  word  saint  in  place-names,  see 
P-  34- 

William  le  Boteler.  Butler. 

More  probably  a  bottle-maker  than  what  we  under- 
stand by  a  butler,  the  origin  being  of  course  the  same. 


A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL  17 

Hundred  Rolls  Modern  Form 

Gilbert  Lupus.  Wolf. 

Wolf,  and  the  Scandinavian  Ulf ,  are  both  common  as 
personal  names  before  the  Conquest,  but  a  good  many 
modern  bearers  of  the  name  are  German  Jews  (see 
P-  55)-     01*^^  Fr.  Ion  (loup)  is  one  source  of  Low. 

Stephen  Juvenis.  Young. 

Senex  is  rarely  found.  The  natural  tendency  was  to 
distinguish  the  younger  man  from  his  father.  Senior 
is  generally  to  be  explained  differently  (see  p.  145). 

William  Braciator.  Brewer. 

The  French  form  brassenr  also  survives  as  Bracher 
and  Brasher,  the  latter  being  also  confused  with 
Brazier,  the  worker  in  brass. 

John  de  Cruce.  Cross,  Crouch. 

A  man  who  lived  near  some  outdoor  cross.  The 
form  crouch  survives  in  Crutched  Friars.  Hence  also 
the  name  Croucher. 


Matthew  le  Candeler.  Candler,  Chandler. 

Initial  c-  for  ch-  shows  Normian  or  Picard  origin 
(see  p.  32). 

Henry  Bernard.  Barnard,  Bamett. 

The  change  from  -er-  to  -ar-  is  regular ;  cf.  Clark,  and 
see  p.  32 .  The  endings  ~ard,  -aid,  are  generally  changed 
to  -ett ;  cf.  Everett  for  Everard,  Barrett  for  Berald, 
Garrett  for  Gerard,  Garrard,  whence  the  imitative 
Garrison  for  Garretson. 
3 


i8  A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL 

Hundred  Rolls  Modern  Form 

William  de  Bosco.  Bush,  Busk,  Buss. 

"For  there  is  neither  busk  nor  hay  (p.  124) 
In  May  that  it  nyl  shrouded  bene." 

[Romainit  of  the  Rose,   54.) 

The  name  might  also  be  translated  as  Wood.  The 
corresponding  name  of  French  origin  is  Boyce  or 
Boyes,  Fr.  bois  (see  p.  140). 

Henry  de  Sancta  Ositha.  Toosey. 

Cf.  Fulk  de  Sancto  Edmundo  (supra),  and  cf.  Tooley 
St.  for  St.  Olave  St.  (see  p.  34). 

Walter  ate  Stede.  Stead. 

In  this  case  the  preposition  has  not  coalesced,  as 
in  Adeane,  at  the  dean,  i.e.  hollow,  Agate,  at  gate,  etc. 
(see  p.  104). 

William  le  Fevere.  Wright,  Smith. 

The  French  name  survives  as  Feaver  and  Fevyer. 
Cf.  also  the  Lat.  Faber,  which  is  not  always  a  modern 
German  importation  (see  p.  io5,«.). 

Thomas  de  Cumbe.  Combe,  Coombes. 

A  West- country  name  for  a  hollow  in  a  hillside 
(see  p.  106). 

John  Stace.  Stace,  Stacey. 

Generally  for  Eustace,  but  sometimes  perhaps  for 
Anastasia,  as  we  find  Stacey  used  as  a  female  name 
(see  p.  33). 

Richard  le  Teynturier.  Dyer,  Dyter,  Dexter. 

Dexter  represents  Mid.  Eng.  dighester,  with  the  femin- 
ine agential  suffix   (see  p.   149). 


A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL  19 

Hundred  Rolls  Modem  Form 

Henry  le  Waleys.  WaUis,  Walsh,  Welch. 

Literally  the  foreigner,  but  especially  applied  by  the 
English  to  the  Western  Celts.  Qiielch  represents  the 
Welsh  pronunciation.  With  Wallis  cf .  Cornwallis,  Mid. 
Eng.  le  cornwaleis  (see  p.  96). 

John  le  Bret.  Brett,  Britton. 

An  inhabitant  of  Brittany,  perhaps  resident  in  that 
Breton  colony  in  London  called  Little  Britain.  Bret 
is  the  Old  French  nominative  of  Breton  (see  p.  80,  n.  1 ). 

Thomas  le  Clerc.  Clark. 

One  of  our  commonest  names.  We  now  spell  the 
common  noun  clerk  by  etymological  reaction,  but 
educated  people  pronounce  the  word  as  it  was  generally 
written  up  to  the  eighteenth  century  (see  p.  32). 

Stephen  le  Hatter. 

The  disappearance  of  this  name  is  a  curious  problem 
(see  p.  151).  The  name  Capper  exists,  though  it  is  not 
very  common. 

Thomas  le  Batur.  Thresher. 

But,  being  a  Londoner,  he  was  more  probably  a 
gold-beater,  or  perhaps  a  beater  of  cloth.  The  name 
Beater  also  survives. 


Alexander  de  Leycestre.  Leicester,  Lester. 

For  the  simpler  spelling,  once  usual  and  still  adopted 
by  those  who  chalk  the  names  on  the  mail-vans  at 
St.  Pancras,  cf.  such  names  as  Worster,  Wooster, 
Gloster,  etc.  (see  p.  99). 


20  A   I\IEDIEVAL  ROLL 

Hundred  Rolls  Modem  Form 

Robert  le  Noreys.  Norris,  Nurse. 

Old  Fr.  norcis,  the  Northerner  (see  p.  97),  or  novice 
(nourrice),  the  nurse,  foster-mother  (see  p.  185). 

Reginald  le  Blond.  Blount,  Blunt. 

Fr.  hlond,  fair.  We  have  also  the  dim.  Blun- 
dell.  The  corresponding  English  name  is  Fairfax, 
from  Mid.  Eng.  fax,  hair  (see  p.  214). 

Randolf  ate  Mor.  Moor. 

With  the  preposition  retained  (see  p.  104)  it  has  given 
the  Latin- looking  Amor. 

Matthew  le  Pevrier.  Pepper. 

For  the  reduction  of  pepperer  to  Pepper  cf.  Armour 
for  armourer,  and  see  p.  155. 

Godfrey  le  Furmager.  Cheeseman,  Firminger. 

From  Old  Fr.  for  mage  (fromage).  The  intrusion  of 
the  n  in  Firminger  is  regular  ;  cf .  Massinger,  messenger, 
from  Fr.  messager,  and  see  p.  35. 

Robert  Campeneys.  Champness,  Champneys. 

Old  Fr.  champeneis  (champenois),  of  Champagne 
(see  p.  99). 

John  del  Pek.  Peek,  Peake,  Pike,  Pick. 

A  name  taken  from  a  hill-top,  but  often  applied 
specifically  to  the  Derbyshire  Peak  (see  p.  107). 

Richard  Dygun.  Dickens. 

A  diminutive  of  Dig,  for  Dick  (see  p.  63). 


A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL  21 

Hundred  Rolls  Modern  Form 

Peter  le  Hoder.  Hodder. 

A  maker  of  hods  or  a  maker  of  hoods  ?  The  latter 
is  more  Hkely. 

Alan  Allutarius.  Whittier. 

Lat.  alutarius,  a  white  tawer.  Similarly,  Mid.  Eng. 
stan-heawere,  stone-hewer,  is  contracted  to  Stanier, 
now  swallowed  up  by  Stainer.  The  simple  tawer  is 
also  one  origin  of  the  name  Tower. 

Peter  le  Rus.  Russ,  Rush,  Rouse. 

Fr.  roux,  of  red  complexion.  Cf.  the  dim.  Russell, 
Fr.  Rousseau  (see  p.  214). 

Middlesex  Jurymen 

Roger  de  la  Hale.  Hall,  Hale,  Hales. 

One  of  our  commonest  local  surnames.  But  it  has 
two  interpretations,  from  hall  and  heal  (p.  116). 

Walter  de  la  Hegge.  Hedge,  Hedges. 

Other  forms  of  the  same  word  are  Hay,  Hayes, 
Haig,  Haigh,  Hawes  (see  p.  124). 

John  Rex.  King. 

One  of  our  commonest  nicknames,  the  survival  of 
which  is  easily  understood  (see  p.  144). 

Stephen  de  la  Novele  Meyson.  Newhouse. 

Cf.  also  Newbigging,  from  Mid.  Eng.  higgcn,  to 
build  (see  p.  133). 

Randolf  Pokoc.  Pocoek,  Peacock. 

The  simple  Poe,  Lat.  pavo,  has  the  same  meaning 
(see  p.  218). 


22  A   MEDIEVAL  ROLL 

Hundred  Rolls  Modern  Form 

William  de  Fonte.  Spring,  Wells,  Weller,  Attewell. 

This  is  the  more  usual  origin  of  the  name  Spring 
(see  p.  90). 

Robert  del  Perer.  Perrier. 

OldFr.  ■perier  (poirier),  pear-tree.  Another  origin  of 
Perrier  is,  through  French,  from  Lat.  petrarius,  a  stone- 
hewer. 

Adam  de  la  Denne.  Denne,  Dean,  Dene. 

A  Mid.  English  name  for  valley  (see  p.  112). 

Robertus  filius  Gillelmi.  Wilson. 

For  other  possible  names  to  be  derived  from  a  father 
named  William,  see  p.  63. 

William  filius  Radolfi.  Rawson. 

A  very  common  medieval  name,  Anglo-Sax.  Ra^d- 
wulf,  the  origin  of  our  Ralph,  Relf,  Rolfe,  Roff,  and  of 
Fr.  Raoul.  Some  of  its  derivatives,  e.g.  Rolls,  have  got 
mixed  with  those  of  Roland.  To  be  distinguished  from 
Randolf  or  Randall,  of  which  the  shorter  form  is  Ran 
or  Rand,  whence  Rankin,  Rands,  Ranee,  etc. 

Steeple  Claydon  Cottagers 

Andrew  CoUe.  Collins,  CoUey. 

For  Nicolas  (see  p.  57). 

William  Neuman.  Newman,  Newcomb. 

A  man  recently  settled  in  the  village  (see  p.  106). 

Adam  ate  Dene.  Dean,  Denne,  Adeane. 

The  separate  at  survives  in  a' Court  and  a  Beckett, 
at  the  beck  head  ;    cf.  Allan  a  Dale  (see  p.  104), 


A  MEDIEVAL   ROLL  23 

Hundred  Rolls  Modem  Form 

Ralph  Mydevynter.  Midwinter. 

An  old  name  for  Christmas  (see  p.  89). 

William  ate  Hull.  Athill,  Hill,  HuU. 

The  form  /  id  for  /.  il  occm'S  in  ^lid.  English  (see  p.  106) 

Gilbert  Sutor.  Sutor,  Souter. 

On  the  poor  representation  of  the  shoemaker  see 
p.  151. 

Walter  Maraud. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  the  disappearance  of  this 
name — 

"  A  rogue,  begger,  vagabond  ;  a  varlet,  rascall,  scoundrell,  base 
knave  "  (Cotgrave)  ; 

but  it  may  be  represented  by  Marratt,  Marrott,  unless 
these  are  from  Mary  (p.  93). 

Nicholas  le  P.ker. 

This  may  be  expanded  into  Parker,  a  park-keeper, 
Packer,  a  wool-packer,  or  the  common  medieval 
Porker,  a  swine-herd,  now  disguised  as  Parker. 

John  Stegand.  Stiggins. 

Anglo-Saxon  names  survived  chiefly  among  the 
peasantry  (see  p.  12). 

Roger  Mercator.  Marchant,  Chapman. 

The  restored  modern  spelling  merchant  has  affected 
the  pronunciation  of  the  common  noun  (see  p.  32). 
The  more  usual  term  Chapman  is  cognate  with  cheap, 
chaffer,  Chipping,  Copenhagen,  Ger.  kaiifen,  to  buy,  etc. 


24  A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL 

Hundred  Rolls  JNIodern  Forni 

Adam  Hoppe.  Hobbs,  Hobson,  Hopkins. 

An  example  of  the  interchange  of  b  and  p  (see  p.  35 '. 
Hob  is  usually  regarded  as  one  of  the  rimed  forms 
from  Robert  (see  p.  62). 

Roger  Crom.  Crum,  Crump. 

Lit,  crooked,  cognate  with  Ger,  krunun.  The  final 
-p  of  Crump  is  excrescent  (see  p.  35). 

Stephen  Cornevaleis.  Cornwallis,  Cornish. 

A  name  which  would  begin  in  Devonshire  (see  p.  96). 

Walter  de  Ibernia.  Ireland. 

A  much  more  common  name  than  Scotland,  which 
has  been  squeezed  out  by  Scott  (see  p.  96). 

Matilda  filia  Matildse.     Mawson  (for  Maud-son),  Till, 

Tilley,  Tillett,  Tillotson,  etc. 
One  of  the  favourite  girl-names  during  the  surname 
period  (see  p.  93). 

Ralph  Vouler.  Fowler. 

A  West-country  pronunciation  ;  cf .  Vowle  for  Powell, 
Vokes  for  Foakes  (p.  61),  Venn  for  Fenn,  etc. 

John  filius  Thomee.     Thompson,  Tompkins,  Tomlin,  etc. 
One  of  the  largest  surname  families.     It  includes 
Toulmin,  a  metathesis  of  Tomlin.     In  Townson  and 
Tonson  it  coalesces  with  Tony,  Anthony. 

Henry  BoUe.  Bull. 

In  this  case  evidently  a  nickname  (see  p.  5). 


A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL  25 

Hundred  Rolls  Modem  Form 

Roger  Gyle.  Gill. 

For  names  in  Gil-  see  p.  59.  The  form  in  the  roll 
may,  however,  represent  an  uncomplimentar}^  nick- 
name, "  guile." 

Walter  Molendarius.  Miller,  Mellor,  Mihier. 

In  Milne,  Milner,  we  have  the  oldest  form,  repre- 
senting Vulgar  Lat.  molina,  mill ;  cf.  Kilner,  from 
kiln,  Lat.  cidina,  kitchen.  Millard  (p.  180)  is  no  doubt 
sometimes  the  same  name  with  excrescent  -d. 

Thomas  Berker.  Barker. 

A  man  who  stripped  bark,  also  a  tanner.  But  as  a 
surname  reinforced  by  the  Norman  form  of  Fr.  berger, 
a  shepherd  (see  p.  150). 

:\Iatthew  Hedde.  Head. 

Sometimes  local,  at  the  head,  but  here  a  nickname ; 
cf.  Tate,  Tail,  sometimes  from  Fr.  tile  (see  p.  126). 

Richard  Joyet.  Jowett,  Jewett. 

A  diminutive  either  of  Joy  or  of  Julian,  Juliana. 
But  it  is  possible  that  Joy  itself  is  not  the  abstract 
noun,  but  a  shortened  form  of  Julian. 

Adam  Kyg.  Ketch,  Keach. 

An  obsolete  adjective  meaning  lively  (see  p.  212). 

Simon  filius  Johannis  Nigelli.    Johnson,  Jones,  Jennings, 

etc. 
The  derivatives  of  John  are  innumerable  and  not 
to  be  distinguished  from  those  of  Joan,  Jane  (see  p.  95). 


26  A  MEDIEVAL  ROLL 

In  the  above  lists  occur  examples  of  all  the  ways  in 
which  surnames  could  be  formed.  At  the  time  of 
compilation  they  were  not  hereditary.  Thus  the  last 
man  on  the  list  is  Simon  Johnson,  but  his  father  was 
John  Neilson,  or  Nelson  (see  p.  95),  and  his  son  would 

be Simpson,  Sims,  etc.     This  would  go  on  until,  at 

a  period  varying  with  the  locality,  the  wealth  and  im- 
portance of  the  individual,  etc.,  one  name  in  the  line 
would  become  accidentally  petrified  and  persist  to  the 
present  day.  The  chain  could,  of  course,  be  broken  at 
any  time  by  the  assumption  of  a  name  from  one  of  the 
other  three  classes. 


CHAPTER    III 

SPELLING   AND    SOUND 

"  Do  you  spell  it  with  a  V  or  a  W  ?  "    inquired  the  judge. 

"  That  depends  upon  the  taste  and  fancy  of  the  speller,  my  lord," 
replied  Sam.  "  I  never  had  occasion  to  spell  it  more  than  once  or 
twice  in  my  life,  but  I  spells  it  with  a  V." 

{Pickwick,  ch.  xxxiv.) 

Many  people  are  particular  about  the  spelling  of  their 
names.  I  am  myself,  although,  as  a  student  of  philo- 
logy, I  ought  to  know  better.  The  greatest  of  English- 
men was  so  careless  in  the  matter  as  to  sign  himself 
Shags-per,  a  fact  usually  emphasized  by  Baconians  when 
speaking  of  the  illiterate  clown  of  Stratford-on-Avon. 
Equally  ilHterate  must  have  been  the  learned  Dr. 
Crown,  who,  in  the  various  books  he  published  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  spelt  his  name 
indifferently  Cron,  Croon,  Croun,  Crone,  Croone, 
Croune.  The  modern  spelling  of  any  particular  name 
is  a  pure  accident.  Before  the  Elementary  Education 
Act  of  1870  a  considerable  proportion  of  English  people 
did  not  spell  their  names  at  all.  They  trusted  to  the 
parson  and  the  clerk,  who  did  their  best  with  unf  amihar 
names.  Even  now  old  people  in  rural  districts  may 
find  half  a  dozen  orthographic  variants  of  their  own 
names  among  the  sparse  documentary  records  of  their 
lives.  Dugdale  the  antiquary  is  said  to  have  found 
more   than  130   variants  of  Mainwaring  among  the 

»7 


28  SPELLING  AND  SOUND 

parchments  of  that  family.  Bardsley  quotes,  under 
the  name  Blenkinsop — 

"  On  April  23, 1470, Elizabeth  Blynkkynesoppye,  of  Blynhkynsoppe, 
widow  of  Thomas  Blynkyensope,  of  Blynkkensope,  received  a  general 
pardon  " — 

four  variants  in  one  sentence.  In  the  List  of  Foreign 
Protestants  and  AHens  in  England  (1618)  we  have 
Andrian  Medlor  and  Elhn  Medler  his  wife,  Johan  Cosen 
and  Abraham  Cozen,  brethren.  The  death  of  Sarah 
Inward,  daughter  of  Richard  In  wood,  was  registered 
in  1685. 

Medieval  spelling  was  roughly  phonetic,  i.e.  it  at- 
tempted to  reproduce  the  sound  of  the  period  and  region, 
and  even  men  of  learning,  as  late  as  the  eighteenth 
century,  were  very  uncertain  in  matters  of  orthography. 
The  spelling  of  the  language  is  now  practically  normal- 
ized, although  in  conformity  with  no  sort  of  principle  ; 
but  the  family  name,  as  a  private  possession,  has  kept 
its  freedom.  Thus,  if  we  wish  to  speak  poetically  of 
a  meadow,  I  suppose  we  should  call  it  a  lea,  but  the 
same  word  is  represented  by  the  family  names  Lea, 
Lee,  Ley,  Leigh,  Legl,  Legge,  Lay,  Lye,  perhaps  the 
largest  group  of  local  surnames  we  possess. 

In  matters  of  spelling  we  observe  various  tendencies. 
One  is  the  retention  of  an  archaic  form,  which  does  not 
necessarily  affect  pronunciation.  Late  Mid.  EngHsh 
was  fond  of  y  for  i,  of  double  consonants,  and  of  hnal 
-e.  All  these  appear  in  the  names  Thynne  (thin)  and 
Wyllic  (wily).  Therefore  we  should  not  deride  the 
man  who  writes  himself  Smythe.  But  in  some  cases 
the  pronunciation  suffers,  e.g.  the  name  Fry  represents 
Mid.  Eng.  fri,  one  of  the  forms  of  the  adjective  that  is 
now  written  free.  Burt  represents  Anglo-Sax.  heorht, 
the  normal  result  of  which  is  Bright.     We  now  write 


VARIANT  SPELLINGS  29 

subtle  and  perfect,  artificial  words,  in  the  second  of  wliich 
the  pronunciation  has  been  changed  in  accordance 
with  the  restored  speUing ;  but  the  older  forms  survive 
in  the  names  Suttle  and  Parfiti — 

"  He  was  a  verrav  par  fit,  gentil  knyght." 

(A,  72.) 

The  usual  English  pronunciation  of  names  like  Mac- 
kenzie, Menzies,  Dalziel,  is  due  to  the  substitution  by 
the  printer  of  a  2  for  an  obsolete  letter  ^  that  repre- 
sented a  soft  palatal  sound  more  like  y. 

We  have  an  archaic  plural  endingin  Knollys{Knowles), 
the  plural  of  knoll,  and  in  Sandys,  and  an  archaic  spell- 
ing mSclater  for  Slater  oiS latter,  for  both  slat  and  slate 
come  from  Old  Fr.  csclat  (eclat),  a  spHnter.  With 
KnoUys  and  Sandys  we  may  put  Pepys,  for  the  exist- 
ence of  the  dims.  Pipkin,  Peppitt,  and  Peppiatt  points 
to  the  medieval  nam.e  Pipun,  corresponding  to  the 
royal  Pepin.  Streatfeild  preserves  variant  spellings 
of  street  and  field.  In  Gardiner  we  have  the  Old 
Northern  French  word  which  now,  as  a  common 
noun,  gardener,  is  assimilated  to  garden,  the  normal 
French  form  of  which  appears  in  Jardine. 

Such  orthographic  variants  as  i  and  y,  Simons, 
Symons,  ph  and  /,  Jephcott,  Jeffcott,  s  and  c,  Pearse, 
Pearce,  Rees,  Reece,Sellars  (cellars),  ks  and%,  Dickson, 
Dixon,  are  a  matter  of  taste  or  accident.  Initial  letters 
which  became  mute  often  disappeared  in  spelling,  e.g. 

1  This  substitution  has  led  one  writer  on  surnames,  who  appar- 
ently confuses  bells  with  beans,  to  derive  the  obsolete  name 
Billiter,  whence  Billiter's  Lane  in  the  City,  from  "  Belzetter,  i.e.,  the 
bell-setter."  The  Mid.  Eng.  "  bellezeter,  campanarius  "  [Prompt. 
Parv.),  was  a  bell-founder,  from  a  verb  related  to  geysir,  in^o^  and 
Ger.  giessen,  to  pour.  Robert  le  bellegeter  was  a  freeman  of  York 
in  1279. 


30  SPELLING   AND   SOUND 

Wray,  a  corner  (p.  127) ,  has  become  hopelessly  confused 
with  Ray,  a  roe,  Knott,  from  Cnut,  i.e.  Canute,  or 
from  dialect  knot,  a  hillock,  with  Nott,  crop-haired. 
Knowlson  is  the  son  of  Nowell  (see  p.  89)  or  of  Noll, 
i.e.  OHver.  Therefore,  when  Mr.  X.  asserts  that  his 
name  has  always  been  spelt  in  such  and  such  a  way, 
he  is  talking  nonsense.  If  his  great-grandfather's 
will  is  accessible,  and  a  document  of  any  length,  he 
will  probably  find  two  or  three  variants  in  that  alone. 
The  great  Duke  of  WelUngton,  as  a  younger  man, 
signed  himself  Arthur  Wesley — 

"  He  was  colonel  of  Dad's  regiment,  the  Thirty-third  foot,  after 
Dad  left  the  army,  and  then  he  changed  his  name  from  Wesley 
to   Wellesley,  or  else  the  other  way  about  " 

(Kipling,  Marklake  Witches)  ; 

and  I  know  two  families  the  members  of  which 
disagree  as  to  the  orthography  of  their  names.  We 
have  a  curious  affectation  in  such  spelHngs  as  French, 
^oulkes,  etc.,  where  the  ff  is  merely  the  method  of  indi- 
cating the  capital  letter  in  early  documents. 

The  telescoping  of  long  names  is  a  famihar  phe- 
nomenon. Well-known  examples  are  Cholmondeley, 
Chumley,  Marjoribanks,  Marchbanks,  Mainwaring, 
Mannering.  Less  famihar  are  Auchinleck,  Affleck, 
Boutevilain,  Butlin,  Postlethwaite,  Posnctt,  Sudeley, 
Sully,  Wolstenholme,  Woosnam.  Ensor  is  from  the  local 
Edensor,  Cavendish  was  regularly  Candish  for  the  Ehza- 
bethans,  while  Cavenham  in  Suffolk  has  given  the  sur- 
name Canham.  Daventry  has  become  Daintree,  Dentry, 
and  probably  the  imitative  Dainty,  while  Stenson  is  for 
Stevenson.  It  is  this  tendency  which  makes  the  con- 
nection between  surnames  and  village  names  so  diffi- 
cult to  estabHsh  in  many  cases,  for  the  artificial  name 
as  it  occurs  in  the  gazetteer  often  gives  httle  clue  to 


DIALECTIC    VARIANTS  31 

the  local  pronunciation.  It  is  easy  to  recognize 
Bickenhall  or  Bickenhill  in  Bickncll  and  Puttenham 
in  Putnam,  but  the  identity  of  Wyndham  with 
Wymondham  is  only  clear  when  we  know  the  local 
pronunciation  of  the  latter  name.  Milton  and  Melton 
are  often  telescoped  forms  of  Middleton. 

Dialectic  variants  must  also  be  taken  into  account. 
Briggs  and  Rigg  represent  the  Northern  forms  of 
Bridges  and  Ridge,  and  Philhrick  is  a  disguised  fell- 
bridge.  In  Egg  we  have  rather  the  survival  of  the 
Mid.  English  spelling  of  Edge.  Braid,  Lang,  Strang, 
are  Northern  variants  of  Broad,  Long,  Strong.  Aiild 
is  for  Old,  while  Tamson  is  for  Thompson  and  Dabbs 
for  Dobbs  (Robert).  We  have  the  same  change  of 
vowel  in  Raper,  for  Roper.  Venner  generally  means 
hunter,  Fr.  vencur,  but  sometimes  represents  the  West- 
country  form  of  Fenner,  the  fen-dweller ;  cf.  Vidler 
for  fiddler,  and  Vanner  for  Fanner,  the  winnower. 

We  all  know  the  difficulty  we  have  in  catching  a  new 
and  unfamiliar  name,  and  the  subterfuges  we  employ 
to  find  out  what  it  really  is.  In  such  cases  we  do 
not  get  the  help  from  association  and  analogy  which 
serves  us  in  deahng  with  language  in  general,  but  find 
ourselves  in  the  position  of  a  foreigner  or  child  hearing 
an  unfamiliar  word  for  the  first  time.  We  reahze  how 
many  imperceptible  shades  there  are  between  a  short 
i  and  a  short  e,  or  between  a  fully  voiced  g  and  a  voice- 
less k,  examples  suggested  to  me  by  my  having  lately 
understood  a  Mr.  Riggs  to  be  a  Mr.  Rex. 

W^e  find  occurring  in  surnames  examples  of  those 
consonantal  changes  which  do  not  violate  the  great 
phonetic  law  that  such  changes  can  only  occur 
regularly  within  the  same  group,  i.e.  that  a  labial 
cannot    alternate   with   a   palatal,    or   a   dental   with 


32  SPELLING  AND   SOUND 

either.  It  is  thus  that  we  find  h  alternating  with 
p,  Hobbs  and  Hopps  (Robert),  Bullingcr  and  Pullinger, 
Fr.  bonlanger ;  g  with  k,  Cutlack  and  Goodlakc  (Anglo- 
Sax.  Guthlac),  Diggs  and  Dix  (Richard),  Gipps  and 
Kipps  (Gilbert),  Catlin  and  Catling  (Catherine) ;  /  with 
ch,  Jubb  or  Jtipp  and  Chubb  (Job)  ;  d  with  t,  Proud 
andProW  (see  p.  213),  Dyson  and  Tyson  (Dionisia),  and 
also  with  th,  Carrodus  and  Carruthers  (a  hamlet  in 
Dumfries).  The  alternation  of  c  and  ch  or  g  and  /  in 
names  of  French  origin  is  dialectic,  the  c  and  g 
representing  the  Norman-Picard  pronunciation,  e.g. 
Campion  for  Champion,  Gosling  for  Joslin.  In  some 
cases  we  have  shown  a  definite  preference  for  one 
form,  e.g.  Chancellor  and  Chappell,  but  Carpenter  and 
Camp.  In  English  names  c  is  northern,  c/j  southern, 
e.g.  Carlton,  Charlton,  Kirk,  Church. 

There  are  also  a  few  very  common  vowel  changes. 
The  sound  er  usually  became  ar,  as  in  Barclay 
(Berkeley),  Clark,  Darby,  Garrard  (Gerard),  Jarrold 
(Gerald),  Harbor d  (Herbert),  Jarvis  (Gervase),  Mar- 
chant,  Sargent,  etc.,  while  Lamed,  our  great-grand- 
fathers' pronunciation  of  "learned,"  corresponds  to 
Fr.  Littre.  Thus  Parkins  is  the  same  name  as  Perkins 
(Peter),  and  these  also  give  Parks  and  Perks,  the  former 
of  which  is  usually  not  connected  with  Park.  To  Peter, 
or  rather  to  Fr.  Pierre,  belong  also  Parr,  Parry  and 
Perry,  though  Parry  is  generally  Welsh  (see  p.  66).  The 
dims.  Parrott,  Perrott,  etc.,  were  sometimes  nicknames, 
the  etymology  being  the  same,  for  our  word  parrot 
is  from  Fr.  pierrot.  To  the  freedom  with  which  this 
sound  is  spelt,  e.g.  in  Herd,  Heard,  Hird,  Hurd,  we 
also  owe  Purkiss  ;  cf .  appurtenance  for  older  apparten- 
ance.  The  letter  I  seems  also  to  exercise  a  demoralizing 
influence   on  the   adjacent   vowel.      Juliana   became 


APHESIS  33 

Gillian,  and  from  this,  or  from  the  masculine  form 
Julian,  we  get  Jalland,  Jolland,  and  the  shortened  Gell, 
Gill  (see  p.  59),  and  Jull.  Gallon,  which  Bardsley  groups 
with  these,  is  more  often  a  French  name,  from  the 
Old  German  Walo,  or  a  corruption  of  the  still  commoner 
French  name  Galland,  likewise  of  Germanic  origin. 

We  find  also  such  irregular  vowel  changes  as  Flinders 
for  Flanders,  and  conversely  Packard  for  Picard. 
Pottinger  (see  p.  35)  sometimes  becomes  Pettinger  as 
Portugal  gives  Pettingall.  The  general  tendency  is 
towards  that  thinning  of  the  vowel  that  we  get  in  mister 
for  master  and  Miss  Miggs's  mim  for  ma'am.  Biddulph 
for  Botolf  is  an  example  of  this.  But  in  Royle  for  the 
local  Ryle  we  find  the  same  broadening  which  has  given 
hoil,  a  swelling,  for  earlier  hile. 

Among  phonetic  changes  which  occur  with  more  or 
less  regularity  are  those  called  aphesis,  epenthesis, 
epithesis,  assimilation,  dissimilation,  and  metathesis, 
convenient  terms  which  are  less  learned  than  they 
appear.  Aphesis  is  the  loss  of  the  unaccented  first 
syllable,  as  in  'baccy  and  'tater.  It  occurs  almost 
regularly  in  words  of  French  origin,  e.g.  squire  and 
esquire,  prentice  and  apprentice.  When  such  double 
forms  exist,  the  surname  invariably  assumes  the  popular 
form,  e.g.  Prentice,  Squire.  Other  examples  are 
Bonner,  i.e.  debonair,  Jenner,  Jenoure,  for  Mid.  Eng. 
engenour,  engineer,  Cater,  Chaytor,  Old  Fr.  acatour 
{acheteur),  a  buyer — 

"A  gentil  maunciple  was  ther  of  a  temple, 
Of  which  achatours  mighte  take  exemple "   (A.  567), 

spencer,    dispenser,    a    spender,    Stacey    for    Eustace, 
Vick  and    Veck   for  Levick,  i.e.  I'eveque,   the   bishop, 
Merrick  for  Almeric,  Pottinger  for  the  obsolete  potigar, 
4 


34  SPELLING   AND   SOUND 

an  apothecary,  etc.  The  institution  now  known  as 
the  "orspittle"  was  called  by  our  unlettered  fore- 
fathers the  "spital,"  hence  the  names  Spittle  and 
Spittlchouse .  A  well-known  amateur  goal-keeper  has 
the  appropriate  name  Fender,  for  defender. 

Many  names  beginning  with  n  are  due  to  aphesis, 
e.g.  Nash  for  atten  ash,  Nalder,  Nelms,  Nock,  atten  oak, 
Nokes,  Nye,  atten  ey,  at  the  island,  Nangle,  atten  angle, 
Nind  or  Nend,  atten  ind  or  end.  With  these  we  may 
compare  Twells,  at  wells,  and  the  numerous  cases  in 
which  the  first  part  of  a  personal  name  is  dropped,  e.g. 
Tolley,  Bartholomew,  Mimn,  Edmund,  Pott,  Philpot, 
dim.  of  PhiHp  (see  p.  87)  and  the  less  common  Facey, 
from  Boniface,  and  Loney,  from  Appolonia,  the  latter 
of  which  has  also  given  Applin. 

When  a  name  compounded  with  Saint  begins  with 
a  vowel,  we  get  such  forms  as  Tedman,  St.  Edmund, 
Tohin,  St.  Aubyn,  Toosey,  St.  Osith,  Toomer,  St.  Omer, 
Tooley,  St.  Olave ;  cf.  Tooley  St.  for  St.  Olave  St.  and 
tawdry  from  St.  Audrey.  When  the  saint's  name  begins 
with  a  consonant,  we  get,  instead  of  aphesis,  a  telescoped 
pronunciation,  e.g.  Selinger,  St.  Leger,  Seymour,  St. 
Maur,  Sinclair,  St.  Clair,  Semark,  St.  Mark,  Semple, 
St.  Paul,  Simper,  St.  Pierre,  Sidney,  probably  for  St. 
Denis,  with  which  we  may  compare  the  educated 
pronunciation  of  St.  John.  These  names  are  all 
of  local  origin,  from  chapelries  in  Normandy  or 
England. 

Epenthesis  is  the  insertion  of  a  sound  which  f  acihtates 
pronunciation,  such  as  that  of  b  in  Fr.  chamhre,  from 
Lat.  camera.  The  intrusive  sound  may  be  a  vowel  or  a 
consonant  as  in  the  names  Henery,  Hendry,  perver- 
sions  of   Henry. ^     To   Hendry  we   owe  the  northern 

1  On  the  usual  fate  of  this  name  in  English,  see  p.  38. 


EPITHESIS    AND    ASSIMILATION  35 

Henderson,  which  has  often  coalesced  with  Anderson, 
from  Andrew.  These  are  contracted  into  Hcnson  and 
Anson,  the  latter  also  from  Ann  and  Agnes  (see  p.  88). 
Intrusion  of  a  vowel  is  seen  in  Greenaway,  Hathaway, 
heath  way,  Treadaway,  trade  (i.e.  trodden)  way,  etc., 
also  in  Horniman,  Alabone,  Alban,  Minister,  minster, 
etc.  But  epenthesis  of  a  consonant  is  more  common, 
especially  b  ov  p  after  vi,  and  d  after  n.  Examples  are 
Gamble  for  the  Anglo-Saxon  name  Gamel,  Hamblin  for 
Hamlin,  a  double  diminutive  of  Hamo,  Simpson, 
Thompson,  etc.,  and  Grindrod,  green  royd  (see  p.  iii). 
There  is  also  the  special  case  of  n  before  g  in  such 
names  as  Firminger  (see  p.  148),  Massinger  (p.  185), 
Pottinger  (p.  176),  etc. 

Epithesis,  or  the  addition  of  a  final  consonant,  is 
common  in  uneducated  speech,  e.g.  scholard,  gownd, 
gar  ding,  etc.  I  say  "  uneducated,"  but  many  such 
forms  have  been  adapted  by  the  language,  e.g.  sound, 
Fr.  son,  and  we  have  the  name  Kitching  for  kitchen. 
The  usual  additions  are  -d,  -t,  or  -g  after  n,  e.g.  Sim- 
monds,  Simon,  Hammond,  Hammant,  Fr.  Hamon,  Hind, 
a  farm  labourer,  of  which  the  older  form  is  Hine 
(p.  164),  Collings  for  Colhns,  Jennings,  Fr.  Jeannin, 
dim.  of  Jean,  Aveling  from  the  female  name  Avehna 
or  Evelyn.  Neild  is  for  Neil,  Nigel,  ^^'e  have 
epithetic  -b  in  Plumb,  the  man  who  lived  by  the 
plum-tree  and  epithetic  -p  in  Crump  (p.  24). 

Assimilation  is  the  tendency  of  a  sound  to  imitate  its 
neighbour.  Thus  the  d  of  Hud  (p.  3)  sometimes  be- 
comes t  in  contact  with  the  sharp  s,  hence  Hutson  ; 
Tomkins  tends  to  become  Tonkins,  whence  Tonks,  if 
the  m  and  k  are  not  separated  by  the  epenthetic  p, 
Tompkins.  In  Hopps  and  Hopkins  we  have  the  b  of 
Hob  assimilated  to  the  sharp  s  and  k,  while  in  Hobbs 


36  SPELLING   AND   SOUND 

we  pronounce  a  final  -".  It  is  perhaps  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  initial  labial  that  Milson,  son  of  Miles, 
sometimes  becomes  Milsom,  and  Branson,  son  of 
Brand,  appears  as  Bransotn. 

The  same  group  of  names  is  affected  by  dissimilation, 
i.e.  the  instinct  to  avoid  the  recurrence  of  the  same 
sound.  Thus  Ranson,  son  of  Ranolf  or  Randolf,  becomes 
Ransom  ^  by  dissimilation  of  one  n,  and  Hanson,  son  of 
Han  (see  p.  3),  becomes  Hansom.  In  Sansom  we  have 
Samson  assimilated  to  Sanson  and  then  dissimilated. 
Dissimilation  especially  affects  the  sounds  /,  n,  r. 
Bullivant  is  found  earlier  as  hon  enjaunt  {Goodchild), 
just  as  a  braggart  Burgundian  was  called  by  Tudor 
dramatists  a  hurguUian.^  Glazehrook  (see  p.  115)  is 
sometimes  a  dissimilation  of  Grazebrook  (grass).  Those 
people  called  Salisbury  who  do  not  hail  from  Salesbury 
in  Lancashire  must  have  had  an  ancestor  de  Sares-bury, 
for  such  was  the  earlier  name  of  Salisbury  (Sarum). 
A  number  of  occupative  names  have  lost  the  last 
syllable  by  dissimilation,  e.g.  Pepper  for  pepperer, 
Armour    for    armourer.      For    further    examples  see 

P-  1.55- 

It  may  be  noted  here  that,  apart  from  dissimila- 
tion, the  sounds  /,  n,  r,  have  a  general  tendency 
to  become  confused,  e.g.  Phillimore  is  for  Finamour 
{Dearlove),  which  also  appears  as  Finnemore  and 
Fenimore,  the  latter  also  to  be  explained  from  fen 
and  moor.  Catlin  is  from  Catherine.  Balestier,  a 
cross-bow    man,    gives    Bannister,    and    Hamnet    and 

1  So  also  Fr.  rancon  gives  Eng.  ransom.  The  French  surname 
Rancon  is  probably  aphetic  for  Laurancon. 

2  ''  When  was  Bobadil  here,  your  captain  ?  that  rogue,  that 
foist,  that  fencing  bmgullian  "  (Jonson,  Every  Man  in  his 
Humour,  iv.  2). 


METATHESIS  37 

Hamlet  both  occur  as  the  name  of  one  of  Shakespeare's 
sons.  Janico  or  Jenico,  Fr.  Janicot,  little  Johnny,  is 
now  Jellicoe.  We  also  get  the  change  of  r  to  Z  in 
Hal,  for  Harry,  whence  Hallett,  Hawkins  (Halkins), 
and  the  Cornish  Hockin,  ]Mal  or  Mol  for  Mary, 
whence  Mallesou,  Mollison,  etc.,  and  Pell  for  Pere- 
grine. This  confusion  is  common  in  infantile  speech, 
e.g.  I  have  heard  a  small  child  express  great  satis- 
faction at  the  presence  on  the  table  of  "  blackbelly 
dam." 

Metathesis,  or  the  transposition  of  sound,  chiefly 
affects  /  and  r,  especially  the  latter.  Our  word 
cress  is  from  Mid.  Eng.  kers,  which  appears  in  Karslake, 
Toulmin  is  for  Tomlin,  a  double  dim.,  -el-in,  of  Tom, 
Grundy  is  for  Giindry,  from  Anglo-Sax.  Gundred,  and 
Joe  Gargery  descended  from  a  Gregory.  Burnell  is  for 
Brunei,  dim.  of  Fr.  hrun,  brown,  and  Thrupp  is  for 
Thorp,  a  village  (p.  122).  Strickland  was  formerly 
Stirkland,  Cripps  is  the  same  as  Crisp,  from  Mid.  Eng. 
crisp,  curly.     Prentis  Jankin  had — 

"  Crispe  here,  shynynge  as  gold  so  fyn  " 

p.   304); 

and  of  Fame  we  are  told  that — 

"  Her  heer  was  oundie  (wavy)  and  crips." 

{House  of  Fame,  iii.   296.) 

Both  names  may  also  be  short  for  Crispin,  the  etymo- 
logy being  the  same  in  any  case.  Apps  is  sometimes 
for  asp,  the  tree  now  called  by  the  adjectival  name 
aspen  (cf.  linden).  We  find  Thomas  atte  apse  in  the 
reign  of  Edward  III. 

The  letters  /,  n,  r  also  tend  to  disappear  from  no 
other   cause    than    rapid    or    careless    pronunciation. 


38  SPELLING  AND   SOUND 

Hence  we  get  Home  for  Holme  (p.  117),  Ferris  for  Ferrers, 
a  French  local  name,  Batt  for  Bartholomew,  Gatty  for 
Gertrude,  Dallison  iov  d'Alencon.  The  loss  of  -r-  after 
a  vowel  is  also  exemplified  by  Foster  for  Forster, 
Pannell  and  Pennell  for  Parnell  (sometimes),  Gath  for 
Garth  (p.  124),  and  Mash  iox  Marsh.  To  the  loss  of  n 
before  s  we  owe  such  names  as  Pattison,  Pater  son,  etc., 
son  of  Paton,  the  dim.  of  Patrick,  and  Rohison  for 
Robinson,  and  also  a  whole  group  of  names  like  Jenks 
and  Jinks  for  Jenkins  (John),  Wilkes  for  Wilkins, 
Gilkes,  Banks,  Perks,  Hawkes,  Jukes  for  J ud kins  (p.  58), 
etc.  Here  I  should  also  include  Biggs,  which  cannot 
be  connected  with  Bigg,  for  we  do  not  find  adjectival 
nicknames  with  -s.  It  seems  to  represent  Biggins, 
from  obsolete  biggin,  a  building  (p.  133). 

The  French  nasal  n  often  disappeared  before  r. 
Thus  denree,  lit.  a  pennyworth,  appears  in  Anglo- 
French  as  darree.  Similarly  Henry  became  Harry, 
except  in  Scotland,  and  the  English  Kings  of  that 
name  were  always  called  Harry  by  their  subjects.  It 
is  to  this  pronunciation  that  we  owe  the  popularity 
of  Harris  and  Harrison,  and  the  frequency  of  Welsh 
Parry  as  compared  with  Penry.  A  compromise  be- 
tween Henry  and  Harry  is  seen  in  Hanrott,  from  the 
French  dim.  Henriot. 

The  initial  h-,  which  we  regard  with  such  veneration, 
is  treated  quite  arbitrarily  in  surnames.  We  find  a 
well-known  medieval  poet  called  indifferently  Occleve 
and  H occleve.  Harnett  is  the  same  as  Arnett,  for 
Arnold,  Ewens  and  Hewens  are  both  from  Ewan,  cog- 
nate with  Evan,  of  which  Heaven  is  an  imitative  form. 
In  Hoskins,  from  the  medieval  Osekin,  a  dim.  of  some 
Anglo-Saxon  name  such  as  Oswald  (p.  69),  the  aspirate 
has  definitely  prevailed.     The  Devonshire  name  Hexter 


BABY    PHONETICS  39 

is  for  Exeter,  Arbuckle  is  a  corruption  of  Harbottle, 
in  Northumberland.  The  Old  French  name  Ancel 
appears  as  both  Ansell  and  Hansell,  and  Earnshaw 
exists  side  by  side  with  Hearnshaw  (p.  no). 

The  loss  of  h  is  especially  common  when  it  is  the 
initial  letter  of  a  suffix,  e.g.  Barniim  for  Barnham, 
Haslam  (hazel),  Blenkinsop  for  Blenkin's  hope  (see 
hope,  p.  108),  Newall  for  Newhall,  W indie  for  Wind 
Hill,  Tickell  for  Tick  Hill,  in  Yorkshire,  etc.  Pickles 
might  be  of  similar  origin,  but  its  oldest  form,  Pigh- 
keleys,  seems  to  mean  rather  hill-meadows.  A  man 
who  minded  sheep  was  once  called  a  Shepard,  or 
Sheppard,  as  he  still  is,  though  we  spell  it  shepherd. 
The  letter  w  disappears  in  the  same  way  ;  thus  Green- 
ish is  for  Greenwich,  Horridge  for  Horwich,  As- 
pinall  for  Aspinwall,  Millard  for  Millward,  the  mill- 
keeper,  Boxall  for  Boxwell,  Caudle  for  Cauldwell  (cold)  ; 
and  the  Anglo-Saxon  names  in  -win  are  often  confused 
with  those  in  -ing,  e.g.  Gooding,  Goodwin  ;  Golding, 
Goldwin ;  Gunning,  Gunwin,  etc.  In  this  way 
Harding  has  prevailed  over  the  once  equally  common 
Hardwin. 

Finally,  we  have  to  consider  what  may  be  called 
baby  phonetics,  the  sound-changes  which  seem  rather 
to  transgress  general  phonetic  laws.  Young  children 
habitually  confuse  dentals  and  palatals,  thus  a  child 
may  be  heard  to  say  that  he  has  "  dot  a  told."  This 
tendency  is,  however,  not  confined  to  children.  My 
own  name,  which  is  a  very  uncommon  one,  is  a  stum- 
bling-block to  most  people,  and  when  I  give  it  in  a 
shop  the  scribe  has  generally  got  as  far  as  Wheat- 
before  he  can  be  stopped.  \\&  find  both  Astill  and 
Askelliorthe  medieval  Asketil  and  Thurtle  alternating 
with  Thiirkle,  originally  Thurketil  (p.  74,  n).     Berten- 


40  SPELLING   AND   SOUND 

shaw  is  found  for  Birkcnshaw ,  birch  wood,  Bartley, 
usually  from  Bartholomew,  is  sometimes  for  Berkeley, 
and  both  Lord  Bacon  and  Horace  Walpole  wrote  Twit- 
nam  for  Twickenham.  Jeff  cock,  dim.  of  Geoffrey,  be- 
comes Jeffcott,  while  Glascock  is  for  the  local  Glascott. 
Here  the  palatal  takes  the  place  of  the  dental,  as  in 
Brangwin  for  Anglo-Sax.  Brandwine.  Middlemas  is 
almost  certainly  for  Michaelmas  (see  p.  89).  We  have 
the  same  change  in  tiddlcbat  for  stickleback,  a  word 
which  exemplifies  another  point  in  baby  phonetics, 
viz.  the  loss  of  initial  s-,  as  in  the  classic  instance 
tummy.  To  this  loss  of  s-  we  owe  Pillsbury  for  the 
local  Spilsbury,  Pink  for  Spink,  an  obsolete  word 
for  the  chaffinch,  and,  I  think.  Tout  for  StotU.  The 
name  Stacey  is  found  as  Tacey  in  old  Notts  regis- 
ters. On  the  other  hand,  an  inorganic  s-  is  some- 
times prefixed,  as  in  Sturgess  for  the  older  Turgis. 
For  the  loss  of  s-  we  may  compare  Shakespeare's 
parmaceti  (i  Henry  IV.  i.  3),  and  for  its  addition 
the  adjective  spruce,  from  Pruce,  i.e.  Prussia. 

We  also  find  the  infantile  confusion  between  th  and 
/,  e.g.  in  Selfe,  which  represents  a  personal  name  Seleth, 
probably  from  Anglo-Sax.  s^/S,  bliss.  Both  Selve 
and  Selthe  occur  in  the  Hundred  Rolls.  Perhaps  also 
in  Fripp  for  Thripp,  a  variant  of  Thrupp,  for  Thorp. 
Bickerstaffe  is  the  name  of  a  place  in  Lancashire,  of 
which  the  older  form  appears  in  Bickersteth,  and  the 
local  name  Throgmorton  is  spelt  by  Camden  Frog- 
morton. 

Such  are  some  of  the  commoner  phenomena  to  be 
noticed  in  connection  with  the  spelling  and  sound  of 
our  names.  The  student  must  always  bear  in  mind 
that  our  surnames  date  from  a  period  when  nearly  the 
whole    population    was    uneducated.     Their    modern 


INFLUENCE    OF    SPELLING  41 

forms  depend  on  all  sorts  of  circumstances,  such  as 
local  dialect,  time  of  adoption,  successive  fashions 
in  pronunciation  and  the  taste  and  fancy  of  the 
speller.  They  form  part  of  our  language,  that  is, 
of  a  living  and  ever-changing  organism.  Some  of 
us  are  old  enough  to  remember  the  confusion  be- 
tween initial  v  and  w  which  prompted  the  judge's 
question  to  Mr.  Weller.  The  vulgar  i  for  a,  as  in 
"  like  the  kike,"  has  been  evolved  within  compara- 
tively recent  times,  as  well  as  the  loss  of  final  -g, 
"  shootiii  and  huntin,"  in  sporting  circles.  In  the 
\\'ord  warmint — 

"  What  were  you  brought  up  to  be  ?  " 
"  A  warmint,  dear  boy  " 

[Great  Expectations,  ch.  xl.), 

we  have  three  phonetic  phenomena,  all  of  which  have 
influenced  the  form  and  sound  of  modern  surnames, 
e.g.  in  Winter,  sometimes  for  Vinter,  i.e.  vintner, 
Clark  for  Clerk,  and  Bryant  for  Bryan;  and  similar 
changes  have  been  in  progress  all  through  the  history 
of  our  language. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  personal 
and  accidental  element,  which  has  so  much  to  do  with 
the  development  of  surnames,  releases  this  branch  of 
philology  to  some  extent  from  the  iron  rule  of  the 
phonetician.  Of  this  the  preceding  pages  give  examples. 
The  name,  not  being  subject  as  other  words  are  to  a 
normalizing  influence,  is  easily  effected  by  the  tradi- 
tional or  accidental  spelling.  Otherwise  Fry  would  be 
pronounced  Free.  The  0  is  short  in  Robin  and  long  in 
Probyn,  and  yet  the  names  are  the  same  (p.  62).  Sloper 
and  Smoker  mean  a  maker  of  slops  and  smocks  re- 
spectively, and  Sniale  is  an  archaic  spelling  of  Small, 
the  modern  vowel  being  in  each  case  lengthened  by  the 


42  SPELLING  AND   SOUND 

retention  of  an  archaic  spelling.  The  late  Professor 
Skeat  rejects  Bardsley's  identification  of  Waring  with 
Old  Fr.  Garin  or  Warin,  because  the  original  vowel 
and  the  suffix  are  both  different.  But  Mainwaring, 
which  is  undoubtedly  from  mesnil  Warin  (p.  142),  shows 
Bardsley  to  be  right. 


CHAPTER    IV 

BROWN,    JONES,    AND    ROBINSON 

"  Talbots  and  Stanleys,  St.  Maurs  and  such-like  folk,  have  led 
armies  and  made  laws  time  out  of  mind  ;  but  those  noble  families 
would  be  somewhat  astonished — if  the  accounts  ever  came  to  be 
fairly  taken — to  find  how  small  their  work  for  England  has  been 
by  the  side  of  that  of  the  Browns." 

{Tom  Brown's  Schooldays,  ch.  i.) 

Brown,  Jones,  and  Robinson  have  usurped  in  popular 
speech  positions  properly  belonging  to  Smith,  Jones 
and  Williams.  But  the  high  position  of  Jones  and 
Williams  is  due  to  the  Welsh,  who,  replacing  a  string 
of  Aps  by  a  simple  genitive  at  a  comparatively  recent 
date,  have  given  undue  prominence  to  a  few  very 
common  names  ;  cf.  Davics,  Evans,  etc.  If  we  con- 
sider only  purely  English  names,  the  triumvirate  would 
be  Smith,  Taylor,  and  Brown.  Thus,  of  our  three  com- 
monest names,  the  first  two  are  occupative  and  the 
third  is  a  nickname.  French  has  no  regular  equivalent, 
though  Dupont  and  Durand  are  sometimes  used  in  this 
way— 

"  Si  Chateaubriand  avait  eu  nom  Diirand  ou  Dupont,  qui  sait 
si  son  Genie  dii  Christianisme  n'eut  point  passe  pour  une  capucinade? ' 

(F.  Brunetiere) 

The  Germans  speak  of  Miiller,  Meyer  and  Schnlze, 
all  rural  names,  and  it  is  perhaps  characteristic  that 
two  of  them  are  official.  Meyer  is  an  early  loan  from 
Lat.    major,    and   appears  to  have  originally  meant 

43 


44  BROWN,    JONES.    AND    ROBINSON 

something  like  overseer.  Later  on  it  acquired  the 
meaning  of  farmer,  in  its  proper  sense  of  one  who  farms, 
i.e.  manages  on  a  profit-sharing  system,  the  property 
of  another.  It  is  etymologically  the  same  as  our 
Mayor,  Mair,  etc.  Schulze,  a  village  magistrate,  is 
cognate  with  Ger.  Schuld,  debt,  and  our  verb  shall. 

Taking  the  different  classes  of  surnames  separately, 
the  six  commonest  occupative  names  are  Smith,  Taylor, 
Clark,  Wright,  Walker,  Turner.  If  we  exclude  Clark, 
as  being  more  often  a  nickname  for  the  man  who  could 
read  and  write,  the  sixth  will  be  Cooper,  sometimes 
spelt  Cowfer.  The  commanding  position  of  Smith 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  applied  to  all  workers  in, 
or  smiters  of,  metal.  The  modern  Smiths  no  doubt 
include  descendants  of  medieval  blacksmiths,  white- 
smiths, brownsmiths,  locksmiths,  and  many  others, 
but  the  compounds  are  not  common  as  surnames. 
We  find,  however,  Shoosmith,  Shearsmith,  and  Nasniyth, 
the  last  being  more  probably  for  earlier  Knysmith,  i.e. 
knife-smith,  than  for  nail-smith,  which  was  supplanted 
by  Naylor.  Grossmith  I  guess  to  be  an  accommodated 
form  of  the  Ger.  Grobschmied,  blacksmith,  lit.  rough 
smith,  and  Goldsmith  is  very  often  a  Jewish  name 
for  Ger.  Goldschmid.  Wright,  obsolete  perhaps  as  a 
trade  name,  has  given  many  compounds,  including 
Arkwright,  a  maker  of  bins,  or  arks  as  they  were  once 
called,  Tellwright,  a  tile  maker,  and  many  others  which 
need  no  interpretation.  The  high  position  of  Taylor 
is  curious,  for  there  were  other  names  for  the  trade, 
such  as  Seamer,  Shapster,  Parmenter  (p.  i/o),  and 
neither  Tailleur  nor  Letailletir  are  particularly  com- 
mon in  French.  The  explanation  is  that  this  name 
has  absorbed  the  medieval  Teler  and  Teller,  weaver, 
ultimately    belonging    to   Lat.    tela,   a   web ;    cf.   the 


OCCUPATIVE    NAMES  45 

very  common  Fr.  Tellicr  and  Letcllier.  In  some 
cases  also  the  Mid.  Eng.  tcyghelcr,  Tyler,  has  been 
swallowed  up.  Walker,  i.e.  trampler,  meant  a  cloth 
fuller,  but  another  origin  has  helped  to  swell  the 
numbers  of  the  clan — 

"  Walkers  are  such  as  are  otherwise  called  foresters.  They  are 
foresters  assigned  by  the  King,  who  are  walkers  within  a  certain 
space  of  ground  assigned  to  their  care  "  (Cowel's  Interpreter). 

Cooper,  a  derivative  of  Lat.  cupa  or  ciipfa,  a  vessel, 
is  cognate  with  the  famous  French  name  Cuvier, 
which  has  given  our  Cover,  though  this  may  also  be 
for  coverer,  i.e.  tiler  (see  p.  155). 

Of  occupative  names  which  have  also  an  official 
meaning,  the  three  commonest  are  Ward,  Bailey,  and 
Marshall.  Ward,  originally  abstract,  is  the  same  word 
as  Fr.  garde.  Bailey,  Old  Fr.  bailif  {bailli),  ranges  from 
a  Scottish  magistrate  to  a  man  in  possession.  It  is 
related  to  bail  and  to  bailey,  a  ward  in  a  fortress,  as  in 
Old  Bailey.  Bayliss  appears  to  be  from  the  Old  French 
nominative  bailis  (p.  9,  n.).  Marshall  (p.  183)  may 
stand  for  a  great  commander  or  a  shoeing-smith,  still 
called  farrier-marshal  in  the  arm}'.  The  first  syllable 
is  cognate  with  mare  and  the  second  means  servant. 
Constable,  Lat.  co7nes  stabuli,  stableman,  has  a  similar 
history. 

The  commonest  local  names  naturally  include  none 
taken  from  particular  places.  The  three  commonest 
are  Hall,  Wood  and  Green,  from  residence  by  the  great 
house,  the  wood,  and  the  village  green.  Cf .  the  French 
names  Lasalle,  Dubois,  Dufre.  Hall  has  sometimes 
given  Hale  and  Hales  (p.  21),  and,  in  its  Old  French 
translation,  Sale.  Next  to  these  come  Hill,  Moore, 
dMd  Shaw  (see  p.  110);  but  Lt'e  would  probably  come 


46  BROWN,    JONES,    AND    ROBINSON 

among  the  first  if   all  its  variants  were  taken  into 
account  (p.  28). 

Of  baptismal  names  used  unaltered  as  surnames 
the  six  commonest  are  Thomas,  Lewis,  Martin,  James, 
Morris,  Morgan.  Here  again  the  Welsh  element  is 
strong,  and  four  of  these  names,  ending  in  -s,  belong 
also  to  the  next  group,  i.e.  the  class  of  surnames  formed 
from  the  genitive  of  baptismal  names.  The  frequent 
occurrence  of  Lewis  is  partly  due  to  its  being  adopted 
as  a  kind  of  translation  of  the  Welsh  Llewellyn,  but 
the  name  is  often  a  disguised  Jewish  Levi,  and  has 
also  absorbed  the  local  Lewes.  Next  to  the  above 
coTS\e  Allen,  Bennett,  Mitchell,  all  of  French  introduction. 
Mitchell  may  have  been  reinforced  by  Mickle,  the 
northern  for  Bigg.  It  is  curious  that  these  particu- 
larly common  names,  Martin,  Allen,  Bennett  (Benedict), 
Mitchell  (Michael),  have  formed  comparatively  few  de- 
rivatives and  are  generally  found  in  their  unaltered 
form.  Three  of  them  are  from  famous  saints'  names, 
while  Allen,  a  Breton  name  which  came  in  with  the 
Conquest,  has  probably  absorbed  to  some  extent  the 
Anglo-Saxon  name  Alwin  (p.  72).  Martin  is  in  some 
cases  an  animal  nickname,  the  marten.  Among  the 
genitives  Jones,  Williams,  and  Davi{e)s  lead  easily, 
followed  by  Evans,  Roberts,  and  Hughes,  all  Welsh  in 
the  main.  Among  the  twelve  commonest  names  of 
this  class  those  that  are  not  preponderantly  Welsh  are 
Roberts,  Edwards,  Harris,  Phillips,  and  Rogers.  Another 
Welsh  patronymic,  Price  (p.  66),  is  among  the  fifty 
commonest  English  names. 

The  classification  of  names  in  -son  raises  the  difficult 
question  as  to  whether  Jack  represents  Fr.  Jacques,  or 
whether  it  comes  from  Jankin,  Jenkin,  dim.  of  John.^ 

^  See  E.  B.  Nicholson,  The  Pedigree  of  Jack. 


DISTRIBUTION    OF    NAMES  47 

Taking  Johnson  and  Jackson  as  separate  names,  we 
get  the  order  Johnson,  Robinson,  Wilson,  Thompson, 
Jackson,  Harrison.  The  variants  of  Thompson  would 
put  it  a  place  or  two  higher.  Names  in  -kins  (see  p.  48) 
are  of  comparatively  late  appearance  and  are  not  so 
common  as  those  in  the  above  classes.  It  would  be 
hard  to  say  which  English  font-name  has  given  the 
largest  number  of  family  names.  In  Chapter  V.  will 
be  found  some  idea  of  the  bewildering  and  multi- 
tudinous forms  they  assume.  It  has  been  calculated, 
I  need  hardly  say  by  a  German  professor,  that  the 
possible  number  of  derivatives  from  one  given  name 
is  6,000,  but  fortunately  most  of  the  seeds  are  abor- 
tive. 

Of  nicknames  Brown,  Clark,  and  White  are  by  far 
the  commonest.  Then  comes  King,  followed  by  the 
two  adjectival  nicknames  Sharp  and  Young. 

The  growth  of  towns  and  facihty  of  communication 
are  now  bringing  about  such  a  general  movement 
that  most  regions  would  accept  Brown,  Jones  and 
Robinson  as  fairly  typical  names.  But  this  was  not 
always  so.  Brown  is  still  much  commoner  in  the  north 
than  in  the  south,  and  at  one  time  the  northern  Johnson 
and  Robinson  contrasted  with  the  southern  Jones  and 
Roberts,  the  latter  being  of  comparatively  modern  origin 
in  Wales  (p.  43).  Even  now,  if  we  take  the  farmer  class, 
our  nomenclature  is  largely  regional,^  and  the  direc- 
tories even  of  our  great  manufacturing  towns  represent 
to  a  great  extent  the  medieval  population  of  the  rural 
district  around  them.  The  names  Daft  and  Turney, 
well  known  in  Nottingham,  appear  in  the  county  in 
the  Hundred  Rolls.  Cheetham,  the  name  of  a  place 
now  absorbed  in  ^Manchester,  is  as  a  surname  ten  times 

^  See  Guppy,  Homes  of  Family  Names. 


48  BROWN,    JONES,    AND    ROBINSON 

more  numerous  there  than  in  London,  and  the  same 
is  true  of  many  characteristic  north-country  najiies, 
such  as  the  Barracloiigh,  Murgatroyd,  and  Siigden 
of  Charlotte  Bronte's  Shirley.  The  transference  of 
Murgatroyd  (p.  iii)  to  Cornwall,  in  Gilbert  and  Sulli- 
van's Ruddigore,  must  have  been  part  of  the  intentional 
topsy-turvydom  in  which  those  two  bright  spirits 
delighted.  Diminutives  in  -kin,  from  the  Old  Dutch 
sufhx  -ken,  are  still  found  in  greatest  number  on  the 
east  coast  that  faces  Holland,  or  in  Wales,  where  they 
were  introduced  by  the  Flemish  weavers  who  settled 
in  Pembrokeshire  in  the  reign  of  Henry  I.  It  is  in 
the  border  counties,  Cheshire,  Shropshire,  Hereford, 
and  Monmouth,  that  we  find  the  old  Welsh  names 
sncYidiS  Gough,  Lloyd,  Onion  {^mon),  Vaughan  (p.  216). 
The  local  Gapp,  an  opening  in  the  cliffs,  is  pretty  well 
confined  to  Norfolk,  and  Puddifoot  belongs  to  Bucks 
and  the  adjacent  counties  as  it  did  in  1273.  The 
hall  changes  hands  as  one  conquering  race  succeeds 
another — 

"  Where  is  Bohun  ?  Where  is  de  Vera  ?  The  lawj'er,  the 
farmer,  the  silk  mercer,  Ues  perdu  under  the  coronet,  and  winks 
to  the  antiquary  to  say  nothing  "  (Emerson,  English  Traits), 

but  the  hut  keeps  its  ancient  inhabitants.  The  de- 
scendant of  the  Anglo-Saxon  serf  who  cringed  to 
Front  de  Bosuf  now  makes  way  respectfully  for  Isaac 
of  York's  motor,  perhaps  on  the  very  spot  where  his 
own  fierce  ancestor  first  exchanged  the  sword  for  the 
ploughshare  long  before  Alfred's  day. 


CHAPTER    V 

THE   ABSORPTION   OF   FOREIGN   NAMES 

"  I  was  born  in  the  year  1632,  in  the  city  of  York,  of  a  good 
family,  though  not  of  that  country,  my  father  being  a  foreigner  of 
Bremen,  who  settled  first  at  Hull.  He  got  a  good  estate  by  mer- 
chandize, and  leaving  off  his  trade,  lived  afterwards  at  York,  from 
whence  he  married  my  mother,  whose  relations  were  named  Robin- 
son, a  very  good  family  in  that  country,  and  from  whom  I  was  called 
Robinson  Kreutznaer  ;  but  by  the  usual  corruption  of  words  in 
English,  we  are  now  called — nay,  we  call  ourselves  and  write  our 
name — Crusoe  "   [Robinson  Crusoe,  ch.  i.). 

Any  student  of  our  family  nomenclature  must  be 
struck  by  the  fact  that  the  number  of  foreign  names 
now  recognizable  in  England  is  out  of  all  proportion 
to  the  immense  number  which  must  have  been  intro- 
duced at  various  periods  of  our  history.  Even  the 
expert,  who  is  often  able  to  detect  the  foreign  name  in 
its  apparently  English  garb,  cannot  rectify  this  dis- 
proportion for  us.  The  number  of  names  of  which  the 
present  form  can  be  traced  back  to  a  foreign  origin  is 
inconsiderable  when  compared  with  the  much  larger 
number  assimilated  and  absorbed  by  the  Anglo-Saxon. 
The  great  mass  of  those  names  of  French  or  Flemish 
origin  which  do  not  date  back  to  the  Conquest  or  to 
medieval  times  are  due  to  the  immigration  of  Protestant 
refugees  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries. 
It  is  true  that  many  names  for  which  Huguenot  ancestry 
is  claimed  were  known  in  England  long  before  the 
Reformation.  Thus,  Bulteel  is  the  name  of  a  refugee 
K  49 


50    THE    ABSORPTION    OF    FOREIGN    NAMES 

family  which  came  from  Tournay  about  the  year  1600, 
but  the  same  name  is  found  in  the  Hundred  Rolls 
of  1273.  The  Gruhhe  family,  according  to  Burke,  came 
from  Germany  about  1450,  after  the  Hussite  persecu- 
tion ;  but  we  find  the  name  in  England  two  centuries 
earlier,  "  without  the  assistance  of  a  foreign  persecu- 
tion to  make  it  respectable  "  (Bardsley,  Dictionary  of 
English  Surnames).  The  Minet  family  is  known  to 
be  of  Huguenot  origin,  but  the  same  name  also  figures 
in  the  Hundred  Rolls.  The  fact  is  that  there  was  all 
through  the  Middle  Ages  a  steady  immigration  of 
foreigners,  whether  artisans,  tradesmen,  or  adven- 
turers, some  of  whose  names  naturally  reappear  among 
the  Huguenots.  On  several  occasions  large  bodies 
of  Continental  workmen,  skilled  in  special  trades,  were 
brought  into  the  country  by  the  wise  policy  of  the 
Government.  Like  the  Huguenots  later  on,  they 
were  protected  by  the  State  and  persecuted  by  the 
populace,  who  resented  their  habits  of  industry  and 
sobriety. 

During  the  whole  period  of  the  religious  troubles 
in  France  and  Flanders,  starting  from  about  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  refugees  were  reaching  this 
country  in  a  steady  stream  ;  but  after  the  Revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  they  arrived  in  thousands,  and 
the  task  of  providing  for  them  and  helping  on  their 
absorption  into  the  population  became  a  serious  prob- 
lem. Among  the  better  class  of  these  immigrants  was 
to  be  found  the  flower  of  French  intellect  and  enter- 
prise, and  one  has  only  to  look  through  an  Army  or 
Navy  list,  or  to  notice  the  names  which  are  prominent 
in  the  Church,  at  the  Bar,  and  in  the  higher  walks  of 
industry  and  commerce,  to  realize  the  madness  of 
Louis  XIV.  and  the  wisdom  of  the  English  Government. 


THE    HUGUENOTS  51 

Here  are  a  few  taken  at  random  from  Smiles' s  History 
of    the     Huguenots — Bosanquet,     Casaubon,     Chenevix 
Trench,     Champion    de     Crespigny,    Dalhiac,    Delane, 
Dollond,  Durand,  Fonblanque,  Gambier,  Garrick,  Layard, 
Lefanu,  Lefroy,  Ligonier,  Luard,   Martineau,  Palairet, 
Perowne,  Plimsoll,  Riou,  Romilly — all  respectable  and 
many  distinguished,  even    cricket  being  represented. 
These    more   educated   foreigners   usually  kept  their 
names,  sometimes  with  slight  modifications  which  do 
not    make    them    unrecognizable.     Thus,     Bouverie, 
Hterally  "  ox-farm,"  is  generally  found  in  its  unaltered 
form,  though  the  London  Directory  has  also  examples 
of  the  perverted  Buffery.     But  the  majority  of  the 
immigrants  were  of  the  artisan  class  and  illiterate. 
This  explains  the  extraordinary  disappearance,  in  the 
course  of  two  centuries,  of  the  thousands  of  French 
names  which  were  introduced  between  1550  and  1700. 
We  have  many  official  hsts  of  these  foreigners,  and 
in  these  Usts  we  catch  the  foreign  name  in  the  very  act 
of    transforming    itself    into    Enghsh.     This    happens 
sometimes  by  translation,   e.g.  Poulain  became  Colt, 
Poisson  was  reincarnated  as  Fish,  and  a  refugee  bearing 
the  somewhat  uncommon  name  Petitceil  transformed 
himself  into  Little-eye,  which  became  in  a  few  genera- 
tions Lidley.     But  comparatively  few  surnames  were 
susceptible  of  such  simple  treatment,  and  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases  the  name  underwent  a  more  or  less 
arbitrary  perversion  which  gave  it  a  more  English 
physiognomy.     Especially  interesting  from  this  point 
of  view  is  the  list  of — "  Straungers  residing  and  dwel- 
Hnge   within   the   city   of   London   and   the   hberties 
thereof,"  drawn  up  in  1618.     The  names  were  prob- 
ably taken  down  by  the  officials  of  the  different  wards, 
who,   differing  themselves  in  intelligence  and  ortho- 


52     THE    ABSORPTION    OF    FOREIGN    NAMES 

graphy,  produced  very  curious  results.  As  a  rule  the 
Christian  name  is  translated,  while  the  surname  is 
either  assimilated  to  some  English  form  or  perverted 
according  to  the  taste  and  fancy  of  the  individual 
constable.  Thus,  John  Garret,  a  Dutchman,  is  prob- 
ably Jan  Gerard,  and  James  Flower,  a  milliner,  born  in 
Rouen,  is  certainly  Jaques  Fleur,  or  Lafleur.  John  de 
Cane  and  Peter  le  Cane  are  Jean  Duquesne  and  Pierre 
Lequesne  (Norman  qiiene,  oak),  though  the  former  may 
also  have  come  from  Caen.  John  Buck,  from  Rouen, 
is  Jean  Bono,  and  Abraham  Bushell,  from  Rochelle,  was 
probably  a  Boussel  or  Boissel.  James  King  and  John 
Hill,  both  Dutchmen,  are  obvious  translations  of  com- 
mon Dutch  names,  while  Henry  Powell,  a  German,  is 
Heinrich  Paul.  Mary  Peacock,  from  Dunkirk,  and 
John  Bonner,  a  Frenchman,  I  take  to  be  Marie  Picot 
and  Jean  Bonheur,  while  Nicholas  Bellow  is  surely 
Nicolas  Belleau.  Michael  Leman,  born  in  Brussels, 
may  be  French  Leman  or  Lemoine,  or  perhaps  German 
Lehmann. 

To  each  alien's  name  is  appended  that  of  the 
monarch  whose  subject  he  calls  himself,  but  a  republic 
is  outside  the  experience  of  one  constable  who  leaves 
an  interrogative  blank  after  Cristofer  Switcher,  born 
at  Swerick  (Zurich)  in  Switcherland .  The  surname  so 
ingeniously  created  appears  to  have  left  no  pedagogic 
descendants.  In  some  cases  the  harassed  Bumble 
has  lost  patience,  and  substituted  a  plain  English  name 
for  foreign  absurdity.  To  the  brain  which  christened 
Oliver  T\vist  we  owe  Henry  Price,  a  subject  of  the  King 
of  Poland,  Lewis  Jackson,  a  "  Portingall,"  and  Alex- 
ander Faith,  a  steward  to  the  Venice  Ambassador, 
born  in  the  dukedom  of  Florence. 

In  the  returns  made  outside  the  bounds  of  the  city 


PERVERSIONS    OF    FOREIGN    NAMES         53 

proper  the  aliens  have  added  their  own  signatures,  or 
in  some  cases  made  their  marks.  Jacob  Alburft  signs 
himself  as  Jacob  Elbers,  and  Croft  Castell  as  Kraft 
Kasstls.  Harman  James  is  the  official  translation  of 
Hermann  Jacobs,  Mary  Miller  of  Marija  Moliner,  and 
John  Young  of  Jan  le  Jeune.  Gyllyam  Spease,  for 
Wilhert  S-pirs,  seems  to  be  due  to  a  Welsh  constable, 
and  Chrystyan  Wyhelhames,  for  Cristian  Welselm,  looks 
like  a  conscientious  attempt  at  WiUiams.  One  registrar, 
with  a  phonetic  system  of  his  own,  has  transformed 
the  Dutch  Moll  into  the  Norman-French  Maule,  and 
has  enriched  his  list  with  Jannacay  Yacopes  for  Jantje 
Jacobs.  Lowe  Luddow,  who  signs  himself  Louij  Ledon, 
seems  to  be  Louis  Ledoux.  An  alien  who  writes  himself 
Jann  Eisankraott  (Ger.  Eisenkrant  ?)  cannot  reasonably 
complain  at  being  transformed  into  John  Isacrocke,  but 
the  substitution  of  John  Johnson  for  Jansen  Van- 
drusen  suggests  that  this  individual's  case  was  taken  at 
the  end  of  a  long  day's  work. 

These  examples,  taken  at  random,  show  how  the 
French  and  Flemish  names  of  the  humbler  refugees 
lost  their  foreign  appearance.  In  many  cases  the 
transformation  was  etymologically  justified.  Thus, 
some  of  our  Druitts  and  Drewetts  may  be  descended 
from  Martin  Druett,  the  first  name  on  the  list.  But 
this  is  probably  the  common  French  name  Drouet  or 
Drouot,  assimilated  to  the  English  Driiitt,  which  we 
find  in  1273.  And  both  are  diminutives  of  Drogo,  which 
occurs  in Doviesday  Book,  and  is,  through  Old  French,  the 
origin  of  our  Drew.  But  in  many  cases  the  name  has 
been  so  deformed  that  one  can  only  guess  at  the  con- 
tinental original.  I  should  conjecture,  for  instance, 
that  the  curious  name  Shoppee  is  a  corruption  of 
Chappuis,  the  Old  French  for  a  carpenter,  and  that 


54    THE    ABSORPTION    OF    FOREIGN    NAMES 

Jacob  Shophousey,  registered  as  a  German  cutler,  came 
from  Schafhausen.  In  this  particular  region  of  Eng- 
lish nomenclature  a  little  guessing  is  almost  excusable. 
The  law  of  probabilities  makes  it  mathematically  cer- 
tain that  the  horde  of  immigrants  included  representa- 
tives of  all  the  very  common  French  family  names, 
and  it  would  be  strange  if  Chappuis  were  absent. 

This  process  of  transformation  is  still  going  on  in 
a  small  way,  especially  in  our  provincial  manufacturing 
towns,  in  which  most  large  commercial  undertakings 
have  slipped  from  the  nerveless  grasp  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  into  the  more  capable  and  prehensile  lingers  of 
the  foreigner — 

"  Hilda  then  learnt    that   Mrs.   Gailey  had   married   a   French 

modeller  named  Canongcs  .   .  .  and  that   in   course  of   time   the 

modeller  had  informally  changed  the  name  to  Cannon,  because  no 

one  in  the  five  towns  could  pronounce  the  true  name  rightly." 

(Arnold  Bennett,  Hilda  Lessways,  i.  5.) 

This  occurs  most  frequently  in  the  case  of  Jewish 
names  of  German  origin.  Thus,  Lowe  becomes  Lowe 
or  Lyons,  Meyer  is  transformed  into  Myers,  Gold- 
schmid  into  Goldsmith,  Kohn  into  Cowan,  Levy  into 
Lee  or  Lewis,  Salamon  into  Salmon,  Hirsch  or  Hertz 
into  Hart,  and  so  on.  Sometimes  a  bolder  flight  is 
attempted — 

"  Leopold  Norfolk  Gordon  had  a  house  in  Park  Lane,  and  ever 
so  many  people's  money  to  keep  it  up  with.  As  may  be  guessed 
from  his  name,  he  was  a  Jew." 

(Morley  Roberts,  Lady  Penelope,  ch.  ii.) 

The  Jewish  names  of  German  origin  which  are  now 
so  common  in  England  mostly  date  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  laws  were  passed 
in  Austria,  Prussia  and  Bavaria  to  compel  all  Jewish 


JEWISH    NAMES  55 

families  to  adopt  a  fixed  surname.  Many  of  them 
chose  personal  names,  e.g.  Jakobs,  Levy,  Moses,  for  this 
pmrpose,  while  others  named  themselves  from  their 
place  of  residence,  e.g.  Cassel,  Speyer  (Spires),  Hamburg, 
often  with  the  addition  of  the  syllable  -er,  e.g.  Dar- 
mesteter,  Homburger.  Some  families  preferred  de- 
scriptive names  such  as  Selig  (see  p  209),  Sonnenschein, 
Goldmann,  or  invented  poetic  and  gorgeous  place-names 
such  as  Rosenberg,  Blumenthal,  Goldberg,  Lilienfeld. 
The  oriental  fancy  also  showed  itself  in  such  names  as 
Edelstein,  jewel,  Gluckstein,^  luck  stone,  Rubinstein, 
ruby,  Goldenkranz,  golden  wreath,  etc.  It  is  owing  to 
the  existence  of  the  last  two  groups  that  our  fashion- 
able intelligence  is  now  often  so  suggestive  of  a  wine- 
list.  Among  animal  names  adopted  the  favourites 
were  Adler,  eagle,  Hirsch,  hart,  Lowe,  lion,  and  Wolf, 
each  of  which  is  used  with  symbolic  significance  in 
the  Old  Testament. 

1  Our  Touchstone  would  seem  also  to  be  a  nickname.  The 
obituary  of  a  Mr.  Touchstone  appeared  in  the  Manchester  Guardian, 
December  12,   191 2. 


CHAPTER    VI 

TOM,    DICK   AND   HARRY 

"  Watte  vocat,  cui  Thomme  venit,  neque  Symme  retardat, 
Bette(\Me,  Gibbe  simul,  Hykke  venire  jubent ; 
Colle  furit,  quern  Geffe  juvat  nocumenta  parantes, 

Cum  quibus  ad  dampnum   Wille  coire  vovet. 
Gri^ge  rapit,  dum  Dawe  strepit,  comes  est  quibus  Hobbe, 

Lorkyn  et  in  medio  non  minor  esse  putat : 
Hudde  ferit,  quem  Judde  terit,  dum  Tebbe  minatur, 
Jahke  domosque  vires  vellit  et  ense  necat." 

(GowER,  On  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion.) 

Gower's  lines  on  the  peasant  rebels  give  us  some 
idea  of  the  names  which  were  most  popular  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  which  have  consequently 
impressed  themselves  most  strongly  on  our  modern 
surnames.  It  will  be  noticed  that  one  member  of 
the  modern  triumvirate,^  Harry,  or  Hal,  is  absent. 
The  great  popularity  of  this  name  probably  dates  from 
a  rather  later  period  and  is  connected  with  the  exploits 
of  Henry  V.  Moreover,  all  the  names,  with  the  possible 
exception  of  Hud,  are  of  French  introduction  and  occur 
rarely  before  the  Conquest.  The  Old  Anglo-Saxon 
names  did  survive,  especially  in  the  remoter  parts  of 
the  country,  and  have  given  us  many  surnames  (see 
ch.  vii.);  but  even  in  the  Middle  Ages  people  had  a 

^  The  three  names  were  not  definitely  established  till  the  nine- 
teenth century.  Before  that  period  they  had  rivals.  French  says 
Pierre  et  Paul,  and  German  Heinz  und  Kimz,  i.e.  Heinrich  and 
Conrad. 

36 


MEDIEVAL    FONT-NAMES  57 

preference  for  anything  that  came  over  with  the 
Conqueror,  French  names  are  nearly  all  of  German 
origin,  the  Celtic  names  and  the  Latin  names  which 
encroached  on  them  having  been  swept  away  by  the 
Frankish  invasion,  a  parallel  to  the  wholesale  adoption 
of  Norman  names  in  England.  Thus  our  name  Harvey, 
no  longer  usual  as  a  font-name,  is  Fr.  Herve,  which 
represents  the  heroic  German  name  Hartwig,  to  the 
second  syllable  of  which  belongs  such  an  apparently 
insignificant  name  as  Wigg.  The  disappearance  of 
Latin  names  is  not  to  be  regretted,  for  the  Latin 
nomenclature  was  of  the  most  unimaginative  descrip- 
tion, while  the  Old  German  names  are  more  like  those 
of  Greece.  Thus  Ger.  Ludwig,  which  has  passed  into 
most  of  the  European  languages  (Louis,  Lewis,  Ludo- 
vico,  etc),  is  from  Old  High  Ger.  hlitt-wig,  renowned 
in  fight,  equivalent  to  the  Greek  Clytomachus,  with 
one-half  of  which  it  is  etymologically  cognate. 

Some  of  the  names  in  Gower's  list,  e.g.  Watte  (p.  3), 
Thomme,  Symme,  Ge-ffe  (p.  61),  Wille,  Jakke,  are  easily 
recognized.  Bette  is  for  Bat,  Bartholomew,  a  name 
which  has  giveli  Batty,  Batten,  Bates,  Bartle  (cf. 
Bartlemas),  Bartlett,  Badcock,  Badman,  and  many 
other  names,  but  its  popularity  is  not  easy  to  account 
for.  Gihhc  is  for  Gilbert.  Hick  is  rimed  on  Dick 
(p.  62).  Collc^  is  for  Nicolas.  Grig  is  for  Gregory, 
whence  Gregson  and  Scottish  Grier.  Dawe,  for  David, 
alternated  with  Day  and  Dow,  which  appear  as 
first  element  in  many  surnames,  though  Day  has 
another  origin  (p.  177)  and  Dowson  sometimes  belongs 
to  the  female  name  Douce,  sweet.     Hohhe  is  a  rimed 

1  It  is  doubtful  whether  Scottish  Colin  is  a  dim.  of  this.  It  may 
be  the  same  Celtic  name  which  has  sometimes  given  the  Irish 
Cttllen. 


58  TOM.    DICK    AND    HARRY 

form  from  Robert.  Lorkyn,  or  Larkin,  is  for  Law- 
rence, for  which  we  also  find  Law,  Lay,  and  Low, 
whence  Lawson,  Lowson,  Laycock,  Locock,  etc.  For 
Hudde  see  pp.  3,  75.  Judde,  from  the  very  popular 
Jordan,  has  given  Judson,  Jiidkins,  and  the  con- 
tracted Jukes.  It  is  probable  that  Jordan  (Fr. 
Jourdain,  Ital,  Giordano)  is  an  Old  German  personal 
name  mistakenly  associated  with  the  sacred  river  of 
Palestine.     Tehhe  is  for  Theobald  (p.  4). 

Many  people,  in  addressing  a  small  boy  with  whom 
they  are  unacquainted,  are  in  the  habit  of  using  Tommy 
as  a  name  to  which  any  small  boy  should  naturally 
answer.  In  some  parts  of  Polynesia  the  natives  speak 
of  a  white  Mary  or  a  black  Mary,  i.e.  woman,  just  as  the 
Walloons  round  Mons  speak  of  Marie  bon  bee,  a  shrew, 
Marie  grognon,  a  Mrs.  Gummidge,  Marie  quatre  langues, 
a  chatterbox,  and  several  other  Maries  still  less  politely 
described.  We  have  the  modern  silly  Johnny  for  the 
older  silly  Billy,  while  Jack  Pudding  is  in  German 
Hans  Wurst,  John  Sausage.  Only  the  very  commonest 
names  are  used  in  this  way,  and,  if  we  had  no  further 
evidence,  the  rustic  Dicky  bird,  Robi^  redbreast.  Hob 
goblin,  Tom  tit,  Will  o'  the  Wisp,  Jack  o'  lantern,  etc., 
would  tell  us  which  have  been  in  the  past  the  most 
popular  English  font-names.  During  the  Middle  Ages 
there  was  a  kind  of  race  among  half  a  dozen  favourite 
names,  the  prevailing  order  being  John,  William, 
Thomas,  Richard,  Robert,  with  perhaps  Hugh  as  sixth. 

Now,  for  each  of  these  there  is  a  reason.  John,  a 
favourite  name  in  so  many  languages  (Jean,  Johann, 
Giovanni,  Evan,  Yves,  Ivan,  etc.),  as  the  name  of  the 
Baptist  and  of  the  favoured  disciple,  defied  even  the 
unpopularity  of  our  one  King  of  that  name.  The 
special  circumstances  attending  the  birth  and  naming 


THE    COMMONEST   FONT-NAMES  59 

of  the  Baptist  probably  supplied  the  chief  factor  in 
its  triumph.  For  some  time  after  the  Conquest 
\Mlliam  led  easily.  We  usually  adopted  the  W-  form 
from  the  north-east  of  France,  but  Guillaume  has  also 
supplied  a  large  number  of  surnames  in  Gil-,  which  have 
got  inextricably  mixed  up  with  those  derived  from 
Gilbert,  Gilhan  (Juliana),  and  Giles.  G?7;«aH represents 
the  French  dim.  Guillemin,  the  local-looking  Gilhani 
is  simply  Guillaume,  and  Wilmot  corresponds  to  Fr. 
Guillemot.  The  doubting  disciple  held  a  very  in- 
significant place  until  the  shrine  of  St.  Thomas  of 
Canterbury  became  one  of  the  holy  places  of  Christen- 
dom. To  Thomas  belong  Macey,  Massie,  Machin, 
and  Masson,  dims,  of  French  aphetic  forms,  but 
the  first  two  are  also  local,  from  Mace  or  Macey, 
and  the  second  two  are  sometimes  alternative  forms 
of  Mason.  Robert  and  Richard  were  both  popular 
Norman  names.  The  first  was  greatly  helped  by 
Robin  Hood  and  the  second  by  the  Lion-Heart.  The 
name  Hugh  was  borne  by  several  saints,  the  most 
famous  of  whom  in  England  was  the  child-martyr, 
St.  Hugh  of  Lincoln,  said  to  have  been  murdered  by 
the  Jews  c.  1250.  It  had  a  dim.  Huggin  and  also  the 
forms  Hew  and  How,  whence  Hewett,  Hewlett,  Howitt, 
Hewlett,  etc.,  while  from  the  French  dim.  Huchon  we 
get  Hutchin  and  its  derivatives,  and  also  Honchin. 
Hugh  also  appears  in  the  rather  small  class  of  names 
represented  by  Littlejohn,  Meiklejohn,^  etc.     We  find 

1  This  formation  seems  to  be  much  commoner  in  French.  In 
the  "  Bottin  "  I  find  Grandblaise,  Grandcollot  (Nicolas),  Grandgeorge, 
Grandgerard,  Grandguillaume,  Grandguillot,  Grandjacques,  Grand- 
jean,  Grandperrin  (Pierre),  Grandpierre,  Grandremy,  Grandvincent, 
and  Petitcolin,  Petitdemange  (Dominique),  Petitdidier  (Desiderius), 
Petit-Durand,  Petit-etienne  (Stephen),  Petit-Gerard,  Petit-Hugue- 
nin,  Petitjean,  Petitperrin,  Petit-Richard. 


6o  TOM,    DICK    AND    HARRY 

Goodhew,  Goodhue.  Cf.  Gaukroger,  i.e.  awkward  Roger, 
and  Goodwillic .  Goodrich  and  Goodrich  may  in  some 
cases  belong  to  Richard.  Only  the  very  commonest 
names  occur  in  such  compounds. 

Most  of  the  other  names  in  Gower's  list  have  been 
prolific.  \\' e  might  add  to  them  Roger,  whence  Hodge 
and  Dodge,  Hiimfrey,  which  did  not  lend  itself  to  many 
variations,  and  Peter,  from  the  French  form  of  which 
we  have  many  derivatives  (see  p.  32),  including  per- 
haps the  Huguenot  Perowne,  Fr.  Perron,  but  this 
can  also  be  local,  du  Perron,  the  etymolog}^  Lat. 
petra,  rock,  remaining  the  same. 

The  absence  of  the  great  names  Alfred  ^  and  Edward 
is  not  surprising,  as  they  belonged  to  the  conquered 
race.  Though  Edward  was  revived  as  the  name  of  a 
long  line  of  Kings,  its  contribution  to  surnames  has 
been  small,  most  names  in  Ed-,  Ead-,  e.g.  Ede,  Eden, 
Edison,  Edkins,  Eady,  etc.,  belonging  rather  to  the 
once  popular  female  name  Eda  or  to  Edith,  though  in 
some  cases  they  are  from  Edward  or  other  Anglo-Saxon 
names  having  the  same  initial  syllable.  James  is  a 
very  rare  name  in  medieval  rolls,  being  represented  by 
Jacob,  and  no  doubt  partly  by  Jack  (see  p.  46).  It  is — 

"  Wrested  from  Jacob,  the  same  as  Jago  ~  in  Spanish,  Jaques  in 
French  ;  which  some  Frenchified  Enghsh,  to  their  disgrace,  have 
too  much  affected  "  (Camden). 

It  appears  in  Gi)nson,  Jemmett,  and  the  odd-looking 
Gem,  while  its  French  form  is  somewhat  disguised  in 
Jeakcs  and  J  ex. 

1  The  name  A  hired  is  due  to  misreading  of  the  older  Alvred,  v 
being  written  n  in  old  MSS.  AUfrey  is  from  the  Old  French  form 
of  the  name. 

-  Jago  is  found,  with  other  Spanish  names,  in  Cornwall ;  cf. 
Bastian  or  Basten,  for  Sebastian. 


FASHIONS    IN    FONT-NAMES  6i 

The  force  of  royal  example  is  seen  in  the  popularity 
under  the  Angevin  kings  of  Henry,  or  Harry,  Geoffrey 
and  Fulk,  the  three  favourite  names  in  that  family. 
For  Harry  see  p.  38.  Geoffrey,  from  Ger.  Gottfried, 
Godfrey,  has  given  us  a  large  number  of  names  in 
Geff-,  Jeff-,  and  Giff-,  Jiff-,  and  probably  also  Jehh, 
Gepp  and  Jepson,  while  to  Fulk  we  owe  Fewkes, 
Foakes,  Fowkes,  Yokes,  etc.,  and  perhaps  in  some  cases 
Fox.  But  it  is  impossible  to  catalogue  all  the  popular 
medieval  font-names.  Many  others  will  be  found 
scattered  through  this  book  as  occasion  or  association 
suggests  them. 

Three  names  whose  poor  representation  is  sur- 
prising are  Arthur,  Charles  and  George,  the  two  great 
Kings  of  medieval  romance  and  the  patron  saint  of 
Merrie  England.  All  three  are  fairly  common  in 
their  unaltered  form,  and  we  find  also  Arter.  But 
they  have  given  hardly  any  derivatives,  though 
Atkins,  generally  from  Ad-,  i.e.  Adam,  may  some- 
times be  from  Arthur  (cf.  Bat  for  Bart,  Matty  for 
Martha,  etc.).  Arthur  is  a  rare  medieval  font- 
name,  a  fact  no  doubt  due  to  the  sad  fate  of  King 
John's  nephew.  Its  modern  popularity  dates  from 
the  Duke  of  Welhngton,  while  Charles  and  George  were 
raised  from  obscurity  by  the  Stuarts  and  the  Bruns- 
wicks.  To  these  might  be  added  the  German  name 
Frederick,  the  spread  of  which  was  due  to  the  fame 
of  Frederick  the  Great.  It  gave,  however,  in  French 
the  dissimilated  Ferry,  one  source  of  our  surnames 
Ferry, '^  Ferris,  though  the  former  is  generally  local. 

1  "  For  Frideric,  the  English  have  commonly  used  Frery  and 
Fery,  which  hath  been  now  a  long  time  a  Christian  name  in  the 
ancient  family  of  Tilney,  and  lucky  to  their  house,  as  they  report." 

(Camden.) 


62  TOM,    DICK    AND    HARRY 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  take  from  Gower's  list  a 
name  which  is  to-day  comparatively  rare,  e.g.  Gil- 
bert, we  find  it  represented  by  a  whole  string  of  sur- 
names, e.g.  Gibbs,  Gibson,  Gibbon,  Gibbins,  Gilbey, 
Gilpin,  Gipps,  to  mention  only  the  most  familiar. 
From  the  French  dim.  Gibelot  we  get  the  rather  rare 
Giblett ;  cf .  Hewlett  for  Hew-el-et,  Hamlet  for  Ham-el-et 
(Hamo),  etc. 

In  forming  patronymics  from  personal  names,  it  is 
not  always  the  first  syllable  that  is  selected.  In  Toll, 
Tolley,  Tollett,  from  Bartholomew,  the  second  has  sur- 
vived, while  Philpot,  dim.  of  Philip,  has  given  Potts. 
From  Alexander  we  get  Sanders  and  Saunders.  But, 
taking,  for  simplicity,  two  instances  in  which  the  first 
syllable  survived,  v%^e  shall  find  plenty  of  instruction 
in  those  two  pretty  men  Robert  and  Richard.  We 
have  seen  (p.  60)  that  Roger  gave  Hodge  and  Dodge, 
which,  in  the  derivatives  Hodson  and  Dodson  have 
coalesced  with  names  derived  from  Odo  and  the 
Anglo-Sax.  Dodda  (p.  76).  Similarly  Robert  gave 
Rob,  Hob^  and  Dob,  and  Richard  gave  Rick,  Hick 
and  Dick.  Hob,  whence  Hobbs,  was  sharpened  into 
Hop,  whence  Hopps.  The  diminutive  Hopkin,  passing 
into  Wales,  gave  Popkin,  just  as  ap-Robin  became 
Probyn,  ap-Hugh  Pugh,  ap-Owen  Bowen,  etc.  In 
the  north  Dobbs  became  Dabbs  (p.  31).  Hob  also 
developed  another  rimed  form  Nob  (cf.  to  "  hob-nob  " 
with  anyone),  whence  Nobbs  and  Nabbs,  the  latter, 
of  course,  being  sometimes  rimed  on  Abbs,  from  Abel 
or  Abraham.  Bob  is  the  latest  variant  and  has 
not  formed  many  surnames.  Richard  has  a  larger 
family   than    Robert,    for,    besides    Rick,    Hick    and 

1  I  believe,  however,  that  Hob  is  in  some  cases  from  Hubert, 
whence  Hubbard,  Hibbert,  Hobart,  etc. 


DERIVATIVES    OF   FONT-NAMES  63 

Dick,  we  have  Rich  and  Hitch,  Higg  and  Digg.  The 
reader  will  be  able  to  continue  this  genealogical  tree 
for  himself. 

The  full  or  the  shortened  name  can  become  a 
surname,  either  without  change,  or  with  the  addition 
of  the  genitive  -s  or  the  word  -son,^  the  former  more 
usual  in  the  south,  the  latter  in  the  north.  To  take 
a  simple  case,  we  find  as  surnames  William,  Will, 
Williams,  Wills,  Williamson,  Wilson.  From  the  short 
form  we  get  diminutives  by  means  of  the  English 
suffixes  -ie  or  -y  (these  especially  in  the  north),  -kin, 
and  the  French  suffixes  -et,  -ot  (often  becoming  -at  in 
English),  -in,  -on  (often  becoming  -en  in  English), 
Thus  Willy,  Wilkin,  Willett.  I  give  a  few  examples  of 
surnames  formed  from  each  class — 

Ritchie  (Richard),  Oddy  (Odo,  whence  also  Oates), 
Lambie  *  (Lambert),  Jelley  (Julian)  ; 

Dawkins,  Dawkes  (David),  Hawkins,  Hawkes  (Hal), 
Gifkins  (Geoffrey),  Perkins,  Perks  (Peter),  Rankin 
(Randolf)  ; 

Gillett  (Gil,  see  p.  59),  Collett  (Nicholas),  Bartlett 
(Bartholomew),  Ricketts  (Richard),  Marriott,  Marry  at 
(Mary),  Elliott  (Ehas,  see  p.  85),  Wyatt  (Guy),  Perrott 
(Peter)  ; 

Collins  (Nicholas),  Jennings  (John,  see  p.  95), 
Copping  {]2Lcdb,  see  p.  9),  Rawlin  (Raoul,  the  French 
form  of  Radolf,  whence  Rolf,  Ralph,  Relf),  Paton 
(Patrick),  Sisson  (Siss,  i.e.  Cecilia),  Gibbons  (Gilbert), 
Beaton  (Beatrice). 

1  This  suffix  has  squeezed  out  all  the  others,  though  Alice  Johnson 
is  theoretically  absurd.  In  Mid.  English  we  find  daughter,  father, 
mother,  brother  and  other  terms  of  relationship  used  in  this  way, 
e.g.,  in  1379,  Agnes  Dyconwyfdowson,  the  wife  of  Dow's  son  Dick. 
Dawbarn,  child  of  David,  is  still  found.     See  also  p.  193. 

2  Lamb  is  also,  of  course,  a  nickname  ;   cf.  Agnew,  Fr.  agneau. 


64  TOM,    DICK    AND    HARRY 

In  addition  to  the  suffixes  and  diminutives  already 
mentioned,  we  have  the  two  rather  puzzling  endings 
-maji  and  -cock.  Man  occurs  as  an  ending  in  several 
Germanic  names  which  are  older  than  the  Conquest, 
e.g.  Ashman,  Harman,  Coleman,  and  the  simple  Mann 
is  also  an  Anglo-Saxon  personal  name.  It  is  some- 
times to  be  taken  literally,  e.g.  in  Goodman,  i.e.  master 
of  the  house  (Matt.  xx.  ii),  Longman,  Youngman, 
etc.  In  Hickman,  Homan  (How,  Hugh),  etc.,  it  may 
mean  servant  of,  as  in  Ladyman,  Priestman,  or  may 
be  merely  an  augmentative  suffix.  In  Coltman, 
Runciman,  it  is  occupative,  the  man  in  charge  of  the 
colts,  rouncies  or  nags.     Chaucer's  shipman — 

"Rood  upon  a  roiDicy  as  he  koiithe  "  (A.  390). 

In  Bridgeman,  Pullman,  it  means  the  man  who  lived 
near,  or  had  some  office  in  connection  with,  the  bridge 
or  pool.  But  it  is  often  due  to  the  imitative  instinct. 
Dedman  is  for  the  local  Debenham,  and  Lakenian  for 
Lakenham,  while  Wyman  represents  the  old  name 
Wymond,  and  Boi£)man  and  Beeman  are  sometimes  for 
the  local  Beaumont  (cf.  the  pronunciation  of  Belvoir). 
But  the  existence  in  German  of  the  name  Bienemann 
shows  that  Beeman  may  have  meant  bee-keeper. 
Sloman  is  either  imitative  for  Solomon  or  means  the 
man  in  the  slough  (p.  113),  and  Godliman  is  an  old 
familiar  spelling  of  Godalming.  We  of  course  get 
doubtful  cases,  e.g.  Sandeman  may  be,  as  explained 
by  Bardsley,  the  servant  of  Alexander  (p.  62),  but 
it  may  equally  well  represent  Mid.  Eng.  sandeman, 
a  messenger,  and  Lawman,  Layman,  are  rather  to  be 
regarded  as  derivatives  of  Lawrence  (p.  58)  than 
what  they  appear  to  be. 

Many  explanations  have  been  given  of  the  suffix 


THE    SUFFIX    -COCK  65 

-cock,  but  I  cannot  say  that  any  of  them  have  convinced 
me.  Both  Cock  and  the  patronymic  Cocking  are  found 
as  early  personal  names.  The  suftix  was  added  to  the 
shortened  form  of  font-names,  e.g.  Alcock  (Allen), 
Hitchcock  (Richard),  was  apparently  felt  as  a  mere 
diminutive,  and  took  an  -s  like  the  diminutives 
in  -kin,  e.g.  Willcocks,  Simcox.  In  Hedgecock, 
Woodcock,  etc.,  it  is  of  course  a  nickname.  The 
modern  Cox  is  one  of  our  very  common  names,  and 
the  spelling  Cock,  Cocks,  Cox,  can  be  found  repre- 
senting three  generations  in  the  churchyard  of  Inver- 
gowrie,  near  Dundee. 

The  two  names  Bawcock  and  Meacock  had  once  a 
special  significance.  Pistol,  urged  to  the  breach  by 
Fluellen,  replies — 

"  Good  bawcock,  bate  thy  rage  !    use  lenity,  sweet  chuck" 

(Henry  V.,  iii.  2); 

and  Petruchio,  pretending  that  his  first  interview  with 
Katherine  has  been  most  satisfactory,  says — 

"  'Tis  a  world  to  see 
How  tame,  when  men  and  women  are  alone, 
A  meacock  wretch  can  make  the  curstest  shrew." 

{Taming  of  the  Shrew,  ii.    i.) 

These  have  been  explained  as  Fr.  heau  coq,  which  is 
possible,  and  meek  cock,  which  is  absurd.  As  both 
words  are  found  as  surnames  before  Shakespeare's 
time,  it  is  probable  that  they  are  diminutives  which 
were  felt  as  suited  to  receive  a  special  connotation, 
just  as  a  man  who  treats  his  thirst  generously  is 
vulgarly  called  a  Lushington.  Bawcock,  Bocock,  can 
easily  be  connected  with  Baldwin,  while  Meacock, 
Maycock,  belong  to  the  personal  name  May  or  Mee, 
shortened  from  the  Old  Fr,  Mahien  (p.  86). 
6 


66  TOM,    DICK   AND   HARRY 

Although  we  are  not  deahng  with  Celtic  names, 
a  few  words  as  to  the  Scottish,  Irish,  and  Welsh  sur- 
names which  we  find  in  our  directories  may  be  useful. 
Those  of  Celtic  origin  are  almost  invariably  patrony- 
mics. The  Scottish  and  Irish  Mac,  used  like  the  Anglo- 
Fr.  Fitz-,  means  relative,  and  is  ultimately  related  to 
the  -mough  of  Watmough  (see  p.  193)  and  to  the  word 
maid.  In  MacNab,  son  of  the  abbot,  and  Mac- 
Pherson,  son  of  the  parson,  we  have  curious  hybrids. 
In  Manx  names,  such  as  Quilliam  (Mac  William), 
Killip  (Mac  Philip),  Clucas  (Mac  Lucas),  we  have 
aphetic  forms  of  Mac.  The  Irish  0'  has  the  same 
meaning  as  Mac,  and  is  related  to  the  first  part  of 
Ger.  Oheim,  uncle,  of  Anglo-Sax.  earn  (see  Eames, 
p.  193),  and  of  Lat.  avus,  grandfather.  Oe  or  oye  is 
still  used  for  grandchild  in  Scottish — 

"  There  was  my  daughter's  wean,  little  Eppie  Daidle,  my  oe,  ye 
ken"  {Heart  of  Midlothian,  ch.  iv.). 

The  names  of  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland  are  pretty 
much  the  same  as  those  of  northern  England,  with 
the  addition  of  a  very  large  French  element,  due 
to  the  close  historical  connection  between  the  two 
countries.  Examples  of  French  names,  often  much 
corrupted,  are  Bethune  (Pas  de  Calais),  often  cor- 
rupted into  Beaton,  the  name  of  one  of  the  Queen's 
Maries,  Boswell  (Bosville,  Seine  Inf.),  Bruce  (Brieux, 
Orne),  Comyn,  Cumming  (Comines,  Nord),  Grant  [le 
grand),  Rennie  (Rene),  etc. 

M^elsh  Ap  or  Ab,  reduced  from  an  older  Map,  ulti- 
mately cognate  with  Mac,  gives  us  such  names  as  Pro- 
byn,  Powell  (Howell,  Hoel),  Price  (Rhys),  Pritchard, 
Prosser  (Rosser),  Prothero  (Roderick),  Bedward,  Beddoes 
(Eddowe),  Blood  (Lud,  Lloyd),  Bethell  (Ithel),  Benyon 


CELTIC    NAMES  67 

(Enion),  whence  also  Bunyan  and  the  local-looking 
Baynham.  Onion  and  Onions  are  imitative  forms  of 
Enion.  Apple] ohit  and  Upjohn  are  corruptions  of 
Ap-john.  The  name  Floyd,  sometimes  Flood,  is  due  to 
the  English  inability  to  grapple  with  the  Welsh  LI— 

"  I  am  a  gentylman  and  come  of  Brutes  [Brutus']  blood, 

My  name  is  ap  Ryce,  ap  Davy,  ap  Flood." 
(Andrew  Boorde,  Book  of  the  Introduction  of  Knowledge,  ii.  7.) 

While  Welsh  names  are  almost  entirely  patronymic, 
Cornish  names  are  very  largely  local.  They  are  dis- 
tinguished by  the  following  prefixes  and  others  of  less 
common  occurrence:  Caer-,  fort,  Lan-,  church,  Pen-, 
hill,  Pol-,  pool,  Ros-,  heath,  Tye-,  settlement,  e.g. 
Carthew,  Lanyon,  Penvuddock,  Polwarth,  Rosevear, 
Trethewy.  Sometimes  these  elements  are  found  com- 
bined, e.g.  in  Penrose. 

A  certain  number  of  Celtic  nicknames  and  occupa- 
tive  names  which  are  frequently  found  in  England  will 
be  mentioned  elsewhere  (pp.  173,  216).  In  Gilchrist, 
Christ's  servant,  Gildea,  servant  of  God,  Gillies,  servant 
of  Jesus,  Gillespie,  bishop's  servant,  Gilmour,  big  ser- 
vant, Gilroy,  red  servant,  we  have  the  Highland"  gillie." 
Such  names  were  originally  preceded  by  Mac-,  e.g. 
Gilroy  is  the  same  as  Macllroy  ;  cf .  Maclean,  for  Mac- 
gil-ian,  son  of  the  servant  of  John.  To  the  same 
class  of  formation  belong  Scottish  names  in  Mai,  e.g. 
Malcolm,  and  Irish  names  in  Mul,  e.g.  Mulholland,  in 
which  the  first  element  means  tonsured  servant, 
shaveling,  and  the  second  is  the  name  of  a  saint. 


CHAPTER    VII 

GODERIC   AND   GODIVA 

"  England  had  now  once  more  (a.d.  iioo)  a  King  born  on  her 
own  soil,  a  Queen  of  the  blood  of  the  hero  Eadmund,  a  King  and 
Queen  whose  children  would  trace  to  Alfred  by  two  descents. 
Norman  insolence  mocked  at  the  English  King  and  his  English 
Lady  under  the  English  names  of  Godric  and  Godgifu."  * 

(Freeman,  Norman  Conquest,  v.   170.) 

In  dealing  with  surnames  we  begin  after  the  Conquest, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  there  were  no  surnames 
before.  Occasionally  an  important  person  has  come 
down  in  history  with  a  nickname,  e.g.  Edmund  Iron- 
side, Harold  Harefoot,  Edward  the  Confessor  ;  but  this 
is  exceptional,  and  the  Anglo-Saxon,  as  a  rule,  was  satis- 
fied with  one  name.  It  is  probable  that  the  majority 
of  names  in  use  before  the  Conquest,  whether  of  English 
or  Scandinavian  origin,  were  chosen  because  of  their 
etymological  meaning,  e.g.  that  the  name  Beornheard 
{Bernard,  Barnard,  Barnett)  was  given  to  a  boy  in  the 
hope  that  he  would  grow  up  a  warrior  strong,  just  as 
his  sister  might  be  called  .^thelgivu,  noble  gift. 
The  formation  of  these  old  names  is  both  interesting 
and,  like  all  Germanic  nomenclature,  poetic. 

As  a  rule  the  name  consists  of  two  elements,  and  the 
number  of  those  elements  which  appear  with  great 
frequency  is  rather  limited.     Some  themes  occur  only 

1  "  Godricum  cum,  et  comparem  Godgivam  appellantes" 
(William  of  Malmesbury,  Gesta  Regurn  Anglorum). 

68 


FORMATION  OF  ANGLO-SAXON  NAMES      69 

in  the  first  half  of  the  name,  e.g.  Mthel-,  whence  JEiliel- 
stan,  later  Alsto7i;  /Elf-,  whence  ^Elfgar,  now  Elgar 
and  Agar  {Mthel-  and  Mlf-  soon  got  confused,  so  that 
Allvey  and  Elvey  may  represent  either  iEthelgifu  or 
^Ifgifu,  or.  Latinized,  Ethelgiva  and  Elgiva);  Cuth-, 
whence  Cuthbeald,  now  Cobbold  ^ ;  Cync-,  whence  Cyne- 
beald,  now  Kimball  and  Kemhlc,  both  of  which  are 
also  local ;  Pole-,  whence  Folcheard  and  Folchere,  now 
Folkard  and  Fiilcher;  Gun-,  whence  Gundred,  now 
Gundry  and  Grundy  (p.  37) ;  Os-,  whence  Osbert,  Osborn, 
Osgood.  Other  themes  only  occur  as  the  second  half 
of  the  name.  Such  are  -gifu,  in  Godgifu,  i.e.  Godiva, 
whence  Goodeve ;  -lac  in  Guthlac,  now  Goodlake  and 
Goodluck  (p.  197) ;  -laf  in  Deorlaf,  now  Dearlove ; 
-wacer  in  Euerwacer,  now  Earwaker. 

Other  themes,  and  perhaps  the  greater  number, 
may  occur  indifferently  first  and  second,  e.g.  beald, 
god,  here,  sige,  weald,  win,  wulf  or  ulf.  Thus  we  have 
complete  reversals  in  Bealdwine,  whence  Baldwin,  and 
Winebeald,  whence  Winbolt,  Hereweald,  whence  Herald, 
Harold,  Harrod,  and  Wealdhere,  whence  Walter  (p.  3). 
With  these  we  may  compare  Goldman  and  Mangold, 
the  latter  of  which  has  given  Mangles.  So  also  we  have 
Sigeheard,  whence  Siggers,  and  Wulfsige,  now  Wolsey, 
Wulfnoth,  now  the  imitative  Wallnutt,  and  Beorht- 
wulf,  later  Bardolph  and  Bardell.  The  famous  name 
Havelock  was  borne  by  the  hero  of  a  medieval  epic, 
"  Havelock  the  Dane,"  but  Dunstan  is  usually  for  the 
local  Dunston.  On  the  other  hand,  Winston  is  a  per- 
sonal name,  Winestan,  whence  Winstanley. 

These  examples  show  that  the  pre-Norman  names 
are  by   no  means   unrepresented    in    the    twentieth 

1  This  is  also  the  origin  of  Cupples,  and  probably  of  Kehle  and 
Kibbles.     It  shares  Cobbett  and  Ctibitt  with  Cuthbeorht. 


70  GODERIC    AND    GODIVA 

century,  but,  in  this  matter,  one  must  proceed  with 
caution.  To  take  as  examples  the  two  names  that 
head  this  chapter,  there  is  no  doubt  that  Goderic  and 
Godiva  are  now  represented  by  Goodrich  and  Goodeve, 
but  these  may  also  belong  to  the  small  group  mentioned 
on  p.  59,  and  stand  for  good  Richard  and  good  Eve. 
Also  Goodrich  comes  in  some  cases  from  Goodrich, 
formerly  Gotheridge,  in  Hereford,  which  has  also 
given  Gutteridge.  Moreover,  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  our  medieval  nomenclature  is  preponderantly 
French,  as  the  early  rolls  show  beyond  dispute,  so  that, 
even  where  a  modern  name  appears  susceptible  of  an 
Anglo-Saxon  explanation,  it  is  often  safer  to  refer  it 
to  the  Old  French  cognate,  for  the  Germanic  names 
introduced  into  France  by  the  Frankish  conquerors,  and 
the  Scandinavian  names  which  passed  into  Normandy, 
contained  very  much  the  same  elements  as  our  own 
native  names,  but  underwent  a  different  phonetic 
development.  Thus  I  would  rather  explain  Bawden, 
Boi&den,  Boulden,  Boden,  and  the  dims.  Body  and 
Bodkin,  as  Old  French  variants  from  the  Old  Ger. 
Baldawin  than  as  coming  directly  from  Anglo-Saxon. 
Boyden  undoubtedly  goes  back  to  Old  Fr.  Baudouin. 
Practically  all  the  names  given  in  Gower's  lines 
(p.  56),  and  many  others  to  which  I  have  ascribed  a 
continental  origin,  are  found  occasionally  in  England 
before  the  Conquest,  but  the  weight  of  evidence  shows 
that  they  were  either  adopted  in  England  as  French 
names  or  were  corrupted  in  form  by  the  Norman 
scribes  and  officials.  To  take  other  examples,  our 
Tibbald,  Tibbies,  Tibbs  suggest  the  Fr.  Thibaut  rather 
than  the  natural  development  of  Anglo-Sax.  Thiud- 
beald,  i.e.  Theobald  ;  ^nd  Ralph,  Relf,  Roff,  etc.,  show 
the  regular   Old   French   development   of   Raedwulf, 


ANGLO-SAXON   NICKNAMES  71 

Radolf.  Tibaut  Wauter,  i.e.  Theobald  Walter,  who 
lived  in  Lancashire  in  1242,  had  both  his  names  in 
Old  French. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  various  ways  of  forming 
nicknames,  or  descriptive  names,  are  all  used  in  the 
pre-Conquest  personal  names.  We  find  Orme,  i.e.  ser- 
pent or  dragon  (cf.  Great  Orme's  Head),  Wulf,  i.e. 
Wolf,  Hwita,  i.e.  White,  and  its  derivative  Hwiting, 
now  Whiting,  Saemann,  i.e.  Seaman,  Bonda,  i.e.  Bond, 
Leofcild,  dear  child,  now  Leifchild,  etc.  But,  except 
in  the  case  of  Orme,  so  common  as  the  first  element  of 
place-names,  I  doubt  the  survival  of  these  personal 
names  into  the  surname  period  and  regard  White, 
Seaman,  Bond,  Leifchild  as  rather  new  epithets  of 
Mid.  English  formation.  Whiting  is  of  course  Anglo- 
Saxon,  -ing  being  the  regular  patronymic  suffix.  Cf. 
Browning,  Benning,  Bering,  Dunning,  Gunning 
Hemming,  Kipping,  Manning,  Spalding,  and  many 
others  which  occur  in  place-names.  But  not  all 
names  in  -ing  are  Anglo-Saxon,  e.g.  Baring  is 
German  ;  cf.  Behring,  of  the  Straits,  while  Johling 
is  Fr.  Jobelin,  a  double  dim.  of  Job. 

I  will  now  give  a  few  examples  of  undoubted  sur- 
vival of  these  Anglo-Saxon  compounds,  showing  how 
the  suffixes  have  been  corrupted  and  simplified. 
Among  the  commonest  of  these  suffixes  are  -heald, 
-beorht,  -cytel  (p.  74,  n.),  -god,  -heard,  -here,  -man,  -mund, 
-rcBd,  -ric,  -weald,  -weard,  -wine,^  which  survive  in 
Rumball  and  Rumhold  (Rumbeald),  Allhright^  and 
Allbutt  (Ealdbeorht,  i.e.  Albert),  Arkle  (Earncytel),  All- 
good  and    Elgood  (^Elfgod),   Everett  (Eoforheard,   i.e. 

1   Bold,    bright,    kettle,    good,    strong,    army,    man,    protection, 
counsel,  powerful,  ruling,  guard,  friend. 
-  Albert  is  of  modern  German  introduction. 


72  GODERIC   AND    GODIVA 

Everard),  Gunter  (Gundhere),  Harman  (Hereman), 
Redmond  '(Raedmund),  Aldred  (iEthelraed  or  Ealdrjcd), 
Aldridge,  and  the  perversion  Allwright  (^thelric 
or  Ealdric),  Thorold  (Thurweald) ,  and,  through  Fr. 
Turold,  Tiirrell,  Terrell,  and  Tyrrell,  Harward  and 
Harvard  (Hereweard),  Lewin  (Leofwine).  In  popular 
use  some  of  these  endings  got  confused,  e.g.  Rumbold 
probably  sometimes  represents  Rumweald,  while  Ken- 
nard  no  doubt  stands  for  Coenweard  as  well  as  for 
Coenheard.  Man  and  mund  were  often  interchanged 
(p.  64),  so  that  from  Eastmund  come  both  Esmond  and 
Eastman.  Gorman  represents  Gormund,  and  Almond 
(p.  97)  is  so  common  in  the  Middle  Ages  that  it  must 
sometimes  be  from  ^Ethelmund. 

Sometimes  the  modern  forms  are  imitative.  Thus 
Allchin  is  for  Alcuin,  and  Goodyear,'^  Goodier  and 
Goodair  represent  Godhere,  while  Goodbeer,  Godhehere, 
Gotobed  are  classed  by  Bardsley  under  Godbeorht, 
which  has  also  given  Godber.  But  in  these  three  names 
the  face  value  of  the  words  can  also  be  accepted 
(pp.  153,  203,  206).  Wisgar  or  Wisgeard  has  given  the 
imitative  Whisker  and  Vizard,  and,  through  French, 
the  Scottish  Wishart,  which  is  thus  the  same  as  the 
famous  Norman  Guiscard.  Garment  and  Rayment  are 
for  Garmund  and  Regenmund,  i.e.  Raymond. 

Other  names  which  can  be  traced  directly  to  the 
group  of  Anglo-Saxon  names  dealt  with  above  are 
Elphick  (iElfheah),  which  in  Norman  French  gave 
Alphege,  Elmer  {JEliimei),  Allnutt  (yElfnoth),  Aluin, 
Elwin,  Elvin  (^Elfwine),  Aylmer  (iEthelmaer) ,  Aylward 

^  Pure  Anglo-Saxon,  like  the  names  of  so  many  opponents  of 
English  tyranny.     Parnell  is  of  course  not  Irish  (p.  94). 

2  This  ma}',  however,  be  taken  literally.  There  is  a  German  name 
Gutjahr  and  a  Norfolk  name  Feaveryear. 


ANGLO-SAXON   SURVIVALS  73 

(iEthelweard) ,  Kenrick  (Coenric),  Collar d  (Ceolheard), 
Colvin  (Ceolwine),  Darwin  (Deorwine),  £'^n^g'^(Eadric), 
Aldwin,  Andeji,  and  the  patronymic  Alderson  (Eald- 
wine),  Falstaff  (Fastwulf),  Filmer  (Filumser),  Frewin 
(Freowine),  Garrard,  Garrett,  Jarrold  (Gaerheard,  Gaer- 
weald),  but  probably  these  are  through  French,  Garhett 
(Garbeald,  which,  in  ItaHan,  became  Garibaldi),  Gatliffe 
(Geatleof),  Goddard  (Godheard),  Goodliffe  (Godleof), 
Gunnell  (Gunhild),  Gunner^  (Gunhere),  Haines 
(Hagene),  Haldane  (Hcelfdene),  Hastings  (Hsesten,  the 
Danish  chief  who  gave  his  name  to  Hastings,  formerly 
Haestinga-ceaster),  Herbert  (Herebeorht),  Herrick 
(Hereric),  Hildyard  (Hildegeard),  Hubert,  Hubbard, 
Hobart,  Hibbert  (Hygebeorht),  Ingram  (Ingelram), 
Lambert  (Landbeorht),  Lugard  (Leofgar),  Lemon 
(Leofman),  Leveridge  (Leofric),  Loveridge  (Luferic), 
Maynard  (Maegenheard),  Maidment  (Maegenmund), 
Rayner  (Regenhere),  Raymond  (Regenmund),  Reynolds 
(Regenweald),  Seabright  (Sigebeorht  and  Saebeorht), 
Sayers^  (Saegaer),  Sewell  (Saeweald  or  Sigeweald), 
Seward  (Sigeweard),  Turbot  (Thurbeorht),  Thorough- 
good  (Thurgod),  Walthew  (Waltheof),  Warman  (Waer- 
mund),  Wyberd  (Wigbeorht),  Wyman  (Wigmund), 
Willard  (Wilheard),  Winfrey  (Winefrith),  Ulyett  and 
Woollett  (Wulfgeat),  Wolmer  (Wulfmaer),  Woolridge 
(Wulfric). 

1  It  is  unlikely  that  this  name  is  connected  with  gun,  a  word  of 
too  late  appearance.  It  may  be  seen  over  a  shop  in  Brentford, 
perhaps  kept  by  a  descendant  of  the  thane  of  the  adjacent  Gunners- 
bury. 

2  The  simple  Sayer  is  also  for  "  assayer,"  either  of  metals  or  of 
meat  and  drink — "  essayeur,  an  essayer  ;  one  that  tasts,  or  takes 
an  essay  ;  and  particularly,  an  officer  in  the  mint,  who  touches  every 
kind  of  new  coyne  before  it  be  delivered  out  "  (Cotgrave).  Robert 
le  sayer,  goldsmith,  was  a  London  citizen  c.  1300. 


74  GODERIC    AND    GODIVA 

In  several  of  these,  e.g.  Fulcher,  Hibbert,  Lambert, 
Reynolds,  the  probabihty  is  that  the  name  came 
through  French.  Where  an  alternative  explanation  is 
possible,  the  direct  Anglo-Saxon  origin  is  generally  the 
less  probable.  Thus,  although  Colling  occurs  as  an 
Anglo-Saxon  name,  Collings  is  generally  a  variant  of 
Collins  (cf.  Jennings  for  Jennins),  and  though  Ham- 
mond is  etymologically  Haganmund,  it  is  better 
to  connect  it  with  the  very  popular  French  form 
Hamon.  Simmonds  might  come  from  Sigemund,  but 
is  more  likely   from   Simon   with   excrescent  -d  (see 

P-  35). 

In  many  cases  the  Anglo-Saxon  name  was  a  simplex 

instead  of  a  compound.     The  simple  CyteP  survives 

as  Chettle,  Kettle,  Chell,  Kell,  whence  Kelsey  (see  ey, 

p.  ii6) .  Brand  also  appears  as  Braund,  Grim  is  common 

in   place-names,    and  from   Grima  we  have   Grimes. 

Cola  gives  Cole,  the  name  of  a  monarch  of  ancient 

legend,  to   be  distinguished  from  the  derivatives  of 

Nicolas  (p.  57),  Gunna  is  now  Gunn,  Serl  has  given 

the  very  common  Searle,  and  Wicga  is  Wigg.     From 

Haco  we  have  Hack  and  the  dim.  Hackett. 

To  these  might  be  added  many  examples  of  pure 

adjectives,  such  as  Freo,  Free,  Freda  (prudent),  Froude, 

Goda,  Good,  Leof  (dear),  Leif,  Leaf,  Read  (red),  Read, 

Reid,  Reed,  Rica,  Rich,  Rudda  (ruddy),  Rudd  and  Rodd, 

Snel  (swift,  valiant),  Snell,  Swet,  Sweet,  etc.,  or  epithets 

such   as  Boda   (messenger),    Bode,   Cempa   (warrior), 

Kemp,  Cyta,  Kite,  Dreng  (warrior),  Dring,  Eorl,  Earl, 

Godcild,  Goodchild,  Nunna,  Nunn,  Oter,  Otter,  Puttoc 

1  Connected  with  the  kettle  or  cauldron  of  Norse  mythology.  The 
renowned  Captain  Kettle,  described  by  his  creator  as  a  Welshman, 
must  have  descended  from  some  hardy  Norse  pirate.  Many  names 
in  this  chapter  are  Scandinavian. 


MONOSYLLABIC    NAMES  75 

(kite),  Puttock,  Sasfugel,  Seafowl,  Spearhavoc,  Spar- 
hawk,  Spark  (p.  12),  Tryggr  (true),  Triggs,  Unwine 
(unfriend),  UnwtJt,  etc.  But  most  of  these  had  died 
out  as  personal  names  and,  in  medieval  use,  were 
nicknames  pure  and  simple. 

Finally,  there  is  a  very  large  group  of  Anglo-Saxon 
dissyllabic  names,  usually  ending  in  -a,  which  appear 
to  be  pet  forms  of  the  longer  names,  though  it  is  not 
always  possible  to  establish  the  connection.  Many  of 
them  have  double  forms  with  a  long  and  short  vowel 
respectively.  It  is  to  this  class  that  we  must  refer 
the  large  numbers  of  our  monosyllabic  surnames, 
which  would  otherwise  defy  interpretation.  Anglo- 
Sax.  Dodda  gave  Dodd,  while  Dodson's  partner 
Fogg  had  an  ancestor  Focga.  Other  examples  are 
Bacga,  Bagg,  Benna,  Benn,  Bota,  Boot  and  dim. 
Booty,  Botta,  Bott,  whence  Botting,  Bubba,  Buhh, 
Budda,  Budd,  Bynna,  Binns,  Cobba,  Cohh,  Coda,  Coad, 
Codda,  Codd,  Cuffa,  Cuff,  Deda,  Deedes,  Duda,  Dowd, 
Duna,  Down,  Dunna,  Dunn,  Dutta,  Dutt,  whence  Dut- 
ton,  Eada,  Eade,  Edes,  etc.,  Ebba,  Ebbs,  Eppa,  Epps, 
Hudda,  Hud,  whence  Hudson,  Inga,  Inge,  Sibba, 
Sibbs,  Sicga,  Siggs,  Tata,  Tate  and  Tait,  Tidda,  Tidd, 
Tigga,  Tigg,  Toca,  Tooke,  Tucca,  Tuck,  Wada,  Wade, 
Wadda,  Waddy,  etc.  Similarly  French  took  from 
German  a  number  of  surnames  formed  from  shortened 
names  in  -0,  with  an  accusative  in  -on,  e.g.  Old  Ger. 
Bodo  has  given  Fr.  Bout  and  Bouton,  whence  our 
Butt  and  Button. 

But  the  names  exemplified  above  are  very  thinly 
represented  in  early  records,  and,  though  their  exist- 
ence in  surnames  derived  from  place-names  [Dodsley, 
Bagshaw,  Bensted,  Budworth,  Cobham,  Ebbsworth,  etc.) 
would  vouch  for  them  even  if  they  were  not  recorded, 


76  GODERIC   AND    GODIVA 

their  comparative  insignificance  is  attested  by  the  fact 
that  they  form  very  few  derivatives.  Compare,  for 
instance,  the  multitudinous  surnames  which  go  back 
to  monosyllables  of  the  later  type  of  name,  such  as 
John  and  Hugh,  with  the  complete  sterility  of  the 
names  above.  Therefore,  when  an  alternative  deriva- 
tion for  a  surname  is  possible,  it  is  usually  ten  to  one 
that  this  alternative  is  right.  Dodson  is  a  simplified 
Dodgson,  from  Roger  (p.  62)  ;  Benson  belongs  to 
Benedict,  sometimes  to  Benjamin  ;  Cobbeit  is  a  dis- 
guised Cuthbert  or  Cobbold  (cf.  Garrett,  p.  17)  ;  Down 
is  usually  local,  at  the  down  or  dune ;  Dunn  is 
medieval  le  dun,  a  colour  nickname  ;  names  in  Ead-, 
Ed-,  are  usually  from  the  medieval  female  name 
Eda  (p.  60)  ;  Sibbs  generally  belongs  to  Sybilla  or 
Sebastian ;  Tait  must  sometimes  be  for  Fr.  Tete, 
probably  from  an  inn  sign ;  Tidd  is  an  old  pet  form 
of  Theodore ;  and  Wade  is  more  frequently  at  wade, 
i.e.  ford.  Even  Ebbs  and  Epps  are  much  more  likely 
to  be  shortened  forms  of  Isabella,  usually  reduced  to 
lb  or  Ibbot  (p.  94). 

To  sum  up,  we  may  say  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  ele- 
ment in  our  surnames  is  much  larger  than  one  would 
imagine  from  Bardsley's  Dictionary,  and  that  it 
accounts,  not  only  for  names  which  have  a  distinctly 
Anglo-Saxon  suffix  or  a  disguised  form  of  one,  but  also 
for  a  very  large  number  of  monosyllabic  names  which 
survive  in  isolation  and  without  kindred.  In  this 
chapter  I  have  only  given  sets  of  characteristic  examples, 
to  which  many  more  might  be  added.  It  would  be 
comparatively  easy,  with  some  imagination  and  a 
conscientious  neglect  of  evidence,  to  connect  the 
greater  number  of  our  surnames  with  the  Anglo- 
Saxons.     Thus  Honey  ball  might  very  well  represent 


"HIDEOUS   NAMES"  11 

the  Anglo-Sax.  Hunbeald,  but,  in  the  absence  of  hnks, 
it  is  better  to  regard  it  as  a  popular  perversion  of 
Hannibal  (p.  82).  In  dealing  with  this  subject,  the 
via  media  is  the  safe  one,  and  one  cannot  pass  in  one 
stride  from  Hengist  and  Horsa  to  the  Reformation 
period. 

Matthew  Arnold,  in  his  essay  on  the  Function  of 
Criticism  at  the  Present  Time,  is  moved  by  the  case  of 
poor  Wragg,  who  was  "  in  custody,"  to  the  following 
wail — 

"  What  a  touch  of  grossness  in  our  race,  what  an  original  short- 
coming in  the  more  deUcate  spiritual  perceptions,  is  shown  by  the 
natural  growth  amongst  us  of  such  hideous  names — Hig^inhottom, 
Stiggins,   Biigg  !  " 

But  this  is  the  poet's  point  of  view.  Though  there 
may  have  been  "no  Wragg  by  the  Ilissus,"  it  is  not  a 
bad  name,  for,  in  its  original  form  Ragg,  it  is  the  first 
element  of  the  heroic  Ragnar,  and  probably  unrelated  to 
Raggett,  which  is  the  medieval  le  ragged.  Bugg,  which 
one  family  exchanged  for  Norfolk  Howard,  is  the 
Anglo-Saxon  Bucga,  a  name  no  doubt  borne  by  many 
a  valiant  warrior.  Stiggins,  as  we  have  seen  (p.  12), 
goes  back  to  a  name  great  in  history,  and  Higgin- 
hottom  (p.  114)   is  purely  geographical. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

PALADINS   AND    HEROES 

"  Morz  est  Rollanz,  Deus  en  ad  I'anme  es  dels. 
Li  Emperere  en  Rencesvals  parvient.  .   .   . 
Carles  escriet :    '  U  estes  vus,  bels  nies  ? 
U  I'Arcevesques  e  li  quens  Oliviers  ? 
U  est  Gerins  e  sis  cumpainz  Geriers  ? 
Otes  u  est  e  li  quens  Berengiers  ? 
Ives  e  Ivories  que  j'aveie  tant  chiers  ? 
Qu'est  devenuz  li  Guascuinz  Engeliers, 
Sansun  li  dux  e  Anse'is  li  fiers  ? 
U  est  Gerarz  de  Russillun  li  vielz, 
Li  duze  per  que  j'aveie  laissiet  ?  '  "  i 

{Chanson  de  Roland,  1.  2397.) 

It  is  natural  that  many  favourite  names  should  be 
taken  from  those  of  heroes  of  romance  whose  exploits 
were  sung  all  over  Europe  by  wandering  minstrels. 
Such  names,  including  those  taken  from  the  Round 
Table  legends,  usually  came  to  us  through  French, 
though  a  few  names  of  the  British  heroes  are  Welsh, 
e.g.  Cradock  from  Caradoc  (Caractacus)  and  Maddox 
from   Madoc.     But    the    Round   Table    stories   were 

1  "  Dead  is  Roland,  God  has  his  soul  in  heaven.  The  Emperor 
arrives  at  Roncevaux.  .  .  .  Charles  cries  :  '  Where  are  you,  fair 
nephew  ?  Where  the  archbishop  (Turpin)  and  Count  Oliver  ? 
Where  is  Gerin  and  his  comrade  Gerier  ?  Where  is  Odo  and  count 
Berenger  ?  Ivo  and  Ivory  whom  I  held  so  dear  ?  What  has  become 
of  the  Gascon  Engelier  ?  Samson  the  duke  and  Anseis  the  proud  ? 
Where  is  Gerard  of  Roussillon  the  old,  the  twelve  peers  whom  I 
had  left  ?  '  " 

78 


THE    ROUND    TABLE  79 

versified  much  later  than  the  true  Old  French  Chansons 
de  Geste,  which  had  a  basis  in  the  national  history,  and 
not  many  of  Arthur's  knights  are  immortalized  as  sur- 
names. We  have  Tristram,  Lancelot,  whence  Lance, 
Percival,  Gawain  in  Gavin,  and  Kay.  But  the  last 
named  is,  like  Key,  more  usually  from  the  word  we  now 
spell  "  quay,"  though  Key  and  Keys  can  also  be  shop- 
signs,  as  of  course  Crosskeys  is.  Linnell  and  Lyell  are 
for  Lionel,  as  Neil,^  Neal  for  Nigel.  The  ladies  have 
fared  better.  Vivian,  which  is  sometimes  from  the 
masculine  Vivien,  is  found  in  Dorset  as  Vye.  and  Isolt 
and  Guinevere,  which  long  survived  as  font-names  in 
Cornwall,  have  given  several  names.  From  Isolt 
come  Isard,  Isitt,  Izzard,  Izod,  and  many  other  forms, 
while  Guinever  appears  as  Genever,  Jennifer,  Gaynor, 
Gilliver,  Gulliver,^  and  the  imitative  Juniper.  It  is 
probably  also  the  source  of  Genn  and  Ginn,  though 
these  may  come  also  from  Eugenia  or  from  Jane. 
The  later  prose  versions  of  the  Arthurian  stories,  such 
as  those  of  Malory,  are  full  of  musical  and  picturesque 
names  like  those  used  by  Mr.  Maurice  Hewlett,  but 
this  artificial  nomenclature  has  left  no  traces  in  our 
surnames. 

Of  the  paladins  the  most  popular  was  Roland  or 
Rowland,  who  survives  as  Rowe,  Rowlinson,  Rolls, 
Rollit,  etc.,  sometimes  coalescing  with  the  derivations 
of  Raoul,  another  epic  hero.  Gerin  or  Geri  gave  Geary, 
and  Oaies  is  the  nominative  (see  p.  80,  n.  1)  of  Odo,  an 
important  Norman  name.  Berenger  appears  as  Bar- 
ringer  and   Bellinger   (p.   36).     The   simple   Oliver   is 

1  But  the  Scottish  Xeil  is  a  Gaelic  name  often  exchanged  for  the 
unrelated  Nigel. 

2  There  is  also  an  Old  Fr.  Gulafre  which  will  account  for  some 
of  the  Gullivers. 


8o  PALADINS   AND    HEROES 

fairly  common,  but  it  also  became  Oilier  and  Olvcr. 
But  perhaps  the  largest  surname  family  connected 
with  the  paladins  is  derived  from  the  Breton  Ives 
or  I  von/  whose  name  appears  in  that  of  two  English 
towns.  It  is  the  same  as  Welsh  Evan,  and  the  Yvain 
of  the  Arthurian  legends,  and  has  given  us  Ives, 
Ivison,  Ivatts,  etc.  The  modern  surname  Ivory  is 
usually  an  imitative  form  of  Every,  or  Avery  (p.  82). 
Gerard  has  a  variety  of  forms  in  Ger-  and  Gar-,  Jer- 
and  Jar-  (see  p.  32).  The  others  do  not  seem  to  have 
survived,  except  the  redoubtable  Archbishop  Turpin, 
whose  fame  is  probably  less  than  that  of  his  name- 
sake Dick. 

Besides  the  paladins,  there  are  many  heroes  of 
Old  French  epic  whose  names  were  popular  during 
the  two  centuries  that  followed  the  Conquest.  Ogier 
le  Danois,  who  also  fought  at  Roncevaux,  has  given  us 
Odgers ;  Fierabras  occasionally  crops  up  as  Firehrace ; 
Aimeri  de  Narbonne,  from  Almaric,-  whence  Ital. 
Amerigo,  is  in  English  Amery,  Emery,  Imray,  etc.  ; 
Renaud  de  Montauban  is  represented  by  Reynolds 
(p.  74)  and  Reynell.  The  famous  Doon  de  Mayence 
may  have  been  an  ancestor  of  Lorna,  and  the  equally 
famous  Garin,  or  Warin,  de  Monglane  has  given  us 
Waring,  sometimes  Warren,  and  the  diminutives  Gar- 
nett  and  Warnett.  He  shares  Gerring  with  the  paladin 
Gerin.  Milo  becomes  Miles,  with  dim.  Millett,  and 
some  of  its  derivatives  have  got  mixed  with  the  local 
Mill  and  the  font-name  Millicent.  Amis  and  Amiles 
were  the  Orestes  and  Pylades  of  Old  French  epic  and 

1  A  number  of  Old  French  names  had  an  accusative  in  -on  or 
-ain.  Thus  we  find  Otes,  Oton,  Ives,  Ivain,  and  feminines  such  as 
Ide,  Idain,  all  of  which  survive  as  English  surnames. 

2  A  metathesis  of  Amalric,  which  is  found  in  Anglo-Saxon. 


THE    CHANSONS   DE    GESTE  8i 

the  former  survives  as  Ames,  Amies,  dJidAmos.  We  have 
2i\so Bernerir om.  Bernier,  Srtr/'ra;«fromBertran,  F arrant, 
with  many  variants,  from  Ferrand,  i.e.,  Ferdinand, 
Terry  and  Terriss  from  Thierry,  the  French  form  of  Ger. 
Dietrich  (Theodoric),  which,  through  Dutch,  has  given 
also  Derrick.  Garnier,  from  Ger.  Werner,  is  our  Garner 
and  Warner,  though  these  have  other  origins  (pp.  154, 
185).  Dru,  from  Drogo,  has  given  Drew,  with  dim. 
Druitt  (p.  53),  and  Driice,  though  the  latter  may  also 
come  from  the  town  of  Dreux.  Walrond  and  Waldron 
are  for  Waleran,  usually  Galeran,  and  King  Pippin 
had  a  retainer  named  Morant.  Saint  Leger  appears  as 
Ledger,  Lediard,  etc.,  and  sometimes  in  the  shortened 
Legg.  Among  the  heroines  we  have  Orbell  from 
Orable,  while  Blancheflour  may  have  suggested  Lilly- 
white  ;  but  the  part  played  by  women  in  the  Chansons 
de  Geste  was  insignificant. 

As  this  element  in  our  nomenclature  has  hitherto 
received  no  attention,  it  may  be  well  to  add  a  few  more 
examples  of  names  which  occur  very  frequently  in  the 
Chansons  de  Geste  and  which  have  undoubted  repre- 
sentatives in  modern  English.  Allard  was  one  of  the 
Four  Sons  of  Aymon.  The  name  is  etymologically 
identical  with  Aylward  (p.  73),  but  in  the  above  form 
has  reached  us  through  French.  Acard  or  Achard  is 
represented  by  Haggard,  Haggett,  and  Hatchard, 
Hatchett,  though  Haggard  probably  has  another  origin 
(p.  221).  Harness  is  imitative  for  Harnais,  Herneis. 
Clarabutt  is  for  Clarembaut ;  cf.  Archbutt  for  Archem- 
baut,  the  Old  French  form  of  Archibald,  Archbold. 
Durrani  is  Durand,  still  a  very  common  French  sur- 
name. Ely  is  Old  Fr.  Elie,  i.e.  Elias  (p.  85),  which 
had  the  dim.  Elyot.'     We  also  find  Old  Fr.   Helye, 

1  For  other  names  belonging  to  this  group  see  p.  85 

7 


82  PALADINS    AND    HEROES 

whence  our  Healcy.  Enguerrand  is  telescoped  to 
Ingram,  though  this  may  also  come  from  the  English 
form  Ingelram.  Fawkcs  is  the  Old  Fr.  Fauques, 
nominative  (see  p.  80,  n.  1)  of  Faucon,  i.e.  falcon. 
Galpin  is  contracted  from  Galopin,  a  famous  epic  thief, 
but  it  may  also  come  from  the  common  noun  galopin — 

"  Galloppins,  under  cookes,  or  scullions  in  monasteries." 

(Cotgrave.) 

In  either  case  it  means  a  "  runner."  Henfrey  is 
from  Heinfrei  or  Hainfroi,  identical  with  Anglo-Sax. 
Haganfrith,  and  Manser  from  Manesier.  Neame  (p.  193) 
may  sometimes  represent  Naime,  the  Nestor  of  Old 
French  epic  and  the  sage  counsellor  of  Charlemagne. 
Richer,  from  Old  Fr.  Richier,  has  generally  been 
absorbed  by  the  cognate  Richard.  Aubrey  and  Avery 
are  from  Alberic.  An  unheroic  name  like  Siggins  may 
be  connected  with  several  heroes  called  Seguin. 

Nor  are  the  heroes  of  antiquity  altogether  absent. 
Along  with  Old  French  national  and  Arthurian  epics 
there  were  a  number  of  romances  based  on  the  legends  of 
Alexander,  Caesar,  and  the  tale  of  Troy.  Alexander,  or 
Saimder,  was  the  favourite  among  this  class  of  names, 
especially  in  Scotland.  Cayzer  was  generally  a  nick- 
name, its  later  form  Ccesar  being  due  to  Italian  in- 
fluence,^ and  the  same  applies  to  Hannibal,^  when  it  is 
not  an  imitative  form  of  the  female  name  Annabel, 
also  corrupted  into  Honeyball.  Both  Dionisius  and 
Dionisia  were  once  common,  and  have  survived  as 
Dennis,  Dennett,  Denny,  and  from  the  shortened  Dye 

1  Julius  Cesar,  physician  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  was  a  Venetian 
(Bardsley). 

2  But  the  frequent  occurrence  of  this  name  and  its  corruptions 
in  Cornwall  suggest  that  it  may  really  have  been  introduced  by 
Carthaginian  sailors. 


ANTIQUE    NAMES  83 

we  get  Dyson.  But  this  Dionisius  was  the  patron 
saint  of  France.  Apparent  names  of  heathen  gods 
and  goddesses  are  almost  always  due  to  folk-etymology, 
e.g.  Bacchus  is  for  bake-house,  and  the  ancestors  of 
Mr.  Wegg's  friend  Venus  came  from  Venice.  Virgil 
is  of  Italian  origin  and  Homer  is  Old  Fr.  heaumier, 
helmet  maker. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  BIBLE  AND  THE  CALENDAR 

"  '  Now  you  see,  brother  Toby,'  he  would  say,  looking  up,  '  that 
Christian  names  are  not  such  indifferent  things  ; — had  Luther  here 
been  called  by  any  other  name  but  Martin,  he  would  have  been 
damn'd  to  all  eternity'  "   [Tristram  Shandy,  ch.  xxxv). 

The  use  of  biblical  names  as  font-names  does  not  date 
from  the  Puritans,  nor  are  surnames  derived  from 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  necessarily  Jewish.  The 
Old  Testament  names  which  were  most  popular  among 
the  medieval  peasants  from  whom  we  nearly  all  spring 
were  naturally  those  connected  with  the  most  pic- 
turesque episodes  of  sacred  history.  Taking  as  an 
example  the  father  of  all  men,  we  find  derived  from 
the  name  Adam  the  following :  Adams,  Adamson, 
Adcock,  Addis,  Addison,  Adds,  Addy,  Ade,  Ades,  Adey, 
Adie,  Ady,  Addey,  Aday,  Adee,  Addyman,  Adkin, 
Adkins,  Adkinson,  Adnett,^  Adnitt,  Adnet,  Adnot, 
Atkin,  Atkins,  Atkinson,  and  the  northern  Aitken,  etc 
This  list,  compiled  from  Bardsley's  Dictionary  of 
Surnames,  is  certainly  not  exhaustive.  Probably 
Taddy  is  rimed  on  Addy  as  Taggy  is  on  Aggy  (Agnes) . 
To  put  together  all  the  derivatives  of  John  or  Thomas 
would  be  a  task  almost  beyond  the  wit  of  man.  Names 
in  Abb-,  App-,  may  come  from  either  Abraham  or  Abel, 
and   from   Abbs  we  also  have  Nabbs.     Cain  was  of 

1  Adenet  (little  Adam)  le  Roi  was  an  Old  French  epic  hero. 

84 


OLD    TESTAMENT    NAMES  85 

course  unpopular.  The  modern  Cain,  Cane,  Kain  re- 
presents the  town  of  Caen  or  Norman  qiiesne,  quenc,  an 
oak.  Moses  appears  in  the  French  form  Moyes  (Moise) 
as  early  as  1273,  and  still  earlier  as  Moss.  Of  the  patri- 
archs the  favourites  were  perhaps  Jacob  and  Joseph, 
the  name  Jcssop  from  the  latter  having  been  influenced 
by  Ital.  Giuseppe.  Benjamin  has  sometimes  given  Ben- 
son and  Bennett,  but  these  are  generally  for  Benedict 
(p.  46).  The  Judges  are  poorly  represented,  except 
Samson,  a  name  which  has  obviously  coalesced  with 
the  derivatives  of  Samuel.  David  had,  of  course,  an 
immense  vogue,  especially  in  Wales  (for  some  of  its 
derivatives  see  p.  57),  and  Solomon  was  also  popu- 
lar, the  modern  Salmon  not  always  being  a  Jewish 
name.  But  almost  the  favourite  Old  Testament 
name  was  Elijah,  Elias,  which,  usually  through  its 
Old  French  form  Elie,  whence  Ely,  is  the  parent  of 
Ellis,  Elliot,  and  many  other  names  in  El-,  some  of 
which,  however,  have  to  be  shared  with  Ellen  and 
Alice  (p.  95).  Job  was  also  popular,  and  is  easily 
recognized  in  Jobson,  Johling,  etc.,  but  less  easily 
in  Ckuhh  (p.  32)  and  Jupp.  The  intermediate  form 
was  the  obsolete  Joppe.  Among  the  prophetic  writers 
Daniel  was  an  easy  winner,  Dann,  Dance  (p.  10), 
Da7inaU,  Dancock,  etc.  Balaam  is  an  imitative  spelling 
of  the  local  Baylham. 

In  considering  these  Old  Testament  names  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  people  did  not  possess  the 
Bible  in  the  vernacular.  The  teaching  of  the  parish 
priests  made  them  familiar  with  selected  episodes,  from 
which  they  naturally  took  the  names  which  appeared 
to  contain  the  greatest  element  of  holiness  or  of  war- 
like renown.  It  is  probable  that  the  mystery  plays 
were  not  without  influence  ;    for  the  personal  name 


86  THE   BIBLE   AND   THE   CALENDAR 

was  not  always  a  fixed  quantity,  and  just  as  John 
Carter,  moving  from  Bingham  to  Nottingham,  might 
become  John  Bingham,  so  Humfrey,  after  playing  the 
part  of  Abel,  might  find  his  name  changed  accordingly. 
This  would  apply  with  still  more  force  to  names 
taken  from  the  legends  of  saints  and  martyrs  on 
which  the  miracle  plays  were  based.  We  even  find 
the  names  Saint,  Martyr^  and  Postill,  the  regular 
aphetic  form  of  apostle  (p.  33),  just  as  we  find  King 
and  Pope.  Camden,  speaking  of  the  freedom  with 
which  English  names  are  formed,  quotes  a  Dutchman, 
who — 

"  When  he  heard  of  English  men  called  God  and  Devil,  said, 
that  the  English  borrowed  names  from  all  things  whatsoever,  good 
or  bad." 

The  medieval  name  Godde  may  of  course  be  for 
Good,  Anglo-Sax.  Goda,  which  is  the  first  element  in 
Goddard,  Godfrey,  etc.,  but  Ledieu  is  common  enough  in 
France.  The  name  seems  to  be  obsolete,  unless  it  is 
disguised  as  Goad.  The  occurrence  in  medieval  rolls 
of  Diabolus  and  le  Diahle  shows  that  Deville  need  not 
always  be  for  de  Eyville.  There  was  probably  much 
competition  for  this  important  part,  and  the  name 
would  not  be  always  felt  as  uncomplimentary.  The 
surname  Teufel  is  found  in  German. 

Coming  to  the  New  Testament,  we  find  the  four 
Evangelists  strongly  represented,  especially  the  first 
and  last.  Matthew  appears  not  only  in  an  easily 
recognizable  form,  e.g.  in  Matheson,  but  also  as 
Mayhem  and  Mayo,  Old  Fr.  Mahieu.  From  the  latter 
form  we  have  the  shortened  May  and  Mec,  whence 
Mayes,  Makins,  Meakin,  Meeson,  and  sometimes 
Mason.     Mark    is    one    of    the    sources    of    March 

1  This  may  also  be  from  Fr.  le  martre,  the  marten. 


NEW   TESTAMENT    NAMES  87 

(p.  90),  as  Luke  is  of  Luck,  whence  Lucock,  Luckett, 
etc.,  though  we  more  often  find  the  learned  form 
Lucas.  Of  John  there  is  no  need  to  speak.  Of 
the  apostles  the  great  favourites,  Simon,  or  Peter, 
John,  and  Bartholomew  have  already  been  men- 
tioned. Almost  equally  popular  was  Philip,  whence 
Philp,  Phipps,  Phelps,  and  the  dim.  Philpot.  Here 
also  belongs  Filkins.  Andrew  flourished  naturally  in 
Scotland,  its  commonest  derivative  being  Anderson, 
while  Dendy  is  for  the  rimed  form  Dandy.  Paul  has 
of  course  had  a  great  influence  and  is  responsible 
for  Pawson  or  Porson,  Pawling,  Poison,  Pollett,  and  most 
names  in  Pol-}  It  is  also,  in  the  form  Powell,  assimi- 
lated to  the  Welsh  Ap  Howel.  Paul  is  regularly 
spelt  Poule  by  Chaucer,  and  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  is 
often  called  Powles  in  Tudor  documents.  Paul's  com- 
panions are  poorly  represented,  for  Barnhy  is  local, 
while  names  in  Sil-  and  Sel-  com.e  from  shortened 
form  of  Cecil,  Cecilia,  and  Silvester.  Another  great 
name  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  is  that  of 
the  protomartyr  Stephen,  among  the  numerous 
derivatives  of  which  we  must  include  Stennett  and 
Stimpson. 

Many  non-biblical  saints  whose  names  occur  very 
frequently  have  already  been  mentioned,  e.g.  Antony, 
Bernard,  Gregory,  Martin,  Lawrence,  Nicholas,  etc. 
To  these  may  be  added  Augustine,  or  Austin,  Chris- 
topher, or  Kit,  with  the  dim.  Christie  and  the  imita- 
tive Chrystal,  Clement,  whence  a  large  family  of  names 
in  Clem-,  Gervase  or  Jarvis,  Jerome,  sometimes  repre- 
sented by  Jerram,  and  Theodore,  or  Tidd  (cf .  Tihh  from 
Theobald),  who  becomes  in  Welsh  Tudor.  Vincent  has 
given  Vince,  Vincey  and  Vincctt,  and  Baseley,  Blazey 

1  This  does  not  of  course  apply  to  Cornish  names  in  Pol  (p.  67). 


88  THE    BIBLE    AND    THE    CALENDAR 

are  from  Basil  and  Blaise.  The  Anglo-Saxon  saints 
are  poorly  represented,  though  probably  most  of  them 
survive  in  a  disguised  form,  e.g.  Price  is  sometimes 
for  Brice,  Cuthbert  has  sometimes  given  Cuhitt  and 
Cohhctt,  and  also  Cutts.  With  an  intrusive  r^  it  has 
given  Crewdson  and  Cruden.  Bottle  sometimes  repre- 
sents Botolf,  Neate  is  for  Neot,  and  Chad  survives  as 
Cade  and  in  many  local  names,  e.g.  Chadwick.  The 
Cornish  Tangye  is  from  the  Breton  St.  Tanneguy.  The 
Archangel  Michael  has  given  one  of  our  commonest 
names,  Mitchell  (p.  46).  This  is  through  French,  but 
we  have  also  the  contracted  Miall  ^ — 

"  At  Michael's  term  had  many  a  trial, 
Worse  than  the  dragon  and  St.  Michael." 

{Hudibras,  III.  ii.   51.) 

From  Gabriel  we  have  Gabb,  Gabbett,  etc.  The  common 
rustic  pronunciation  Gable  has  given  Cable  (p.  32). 

Among  female  saints  we  find  Agnes,  pronounced 
Amiis,  the  derivatives  of  which  have  become  confused 
with  those  of  Anne,  or  Nan,  Catherine,  whence  Catt, 
Catlin,  etc.,  Cecilia,  Cicely,  whence  Sisley,  and  of  course 
Mary  and  Margaret.  For  these  see  p.  93.  St.  Bride, 
or  Bridget,  survives  in  Kirkbride. 

A  very  interesting  group  of  surnames  are  derived 
from  font-names  taken  from  the  great  feasts  of  the 
Church,  date  of  birth  or  baptism,'  etc.  These  are 
more  often  French  or  Greco-Latin  than  English,  a  fact 
to  be  explained  by  priestly  influence.     Thus  Christmas 

^  The  letter  ;',  so  slightly  sounded  in  English,  is  very  irresponsible. 
It  disappears  in  Fanny  (Frances)  and  Biddy  (Bridget),  but  intrudes 
itself  in  the  scruff,  formerly  scuft,  of  the  neck,  and  probably  in 
Scroggins  (p.  iii). 

2  Cf.  Vialls  from  Vitalis,  a  saint's  name. 

3  Names  of  this  class  were  no  doubt  also  sometimes  given  to 
foundlings. 


FEAST-DAYS  89 

is  much  less  common  than  Nod  or  Xowcll,  but  we  also 
find  Midwinter  [p.  23)  and  Yule,  faster  has  a  local  origin 
(from  a  place  in  Essex)  and  also  represents  Mid.  Eng. 
estre,  a  word  of  very  vague  meaning  for  part  of  a  build- 
ing, originally  the  exterior,  from  Lat.  extra.  It  sur- 
vives in  Fr.  les  etres  d'une  maison.  Hester,  to  which 
Bardsley  gives  the  same  origin,  I  should  rather  con- 
nect with  Old  Fr.  hestre  [hetre),  a  beech.  However 
that  may  be,  the  Easter  festival  is  represented  in  our 
surnames  by  Pascal!,  Cornish  Pascoe,  and  Pask,  Pash, 
Pace,  Pack.  Patch,  formerly  a  nickname  for  a  jester 
(p.  187),  from  his  motley  clothes,  is  also  sometimes  a 
variant  of  Pash.  And  the  dim.  Patchett  has  become 
confused  with  Padgett,  from  Padge,  a  rimed  form  of 
Madge.  Pentecost  has  been  corrupted  into  Pancoast 
and  the  local-looking  Pankhurst.  Michaelmas  is  now 
Middlemas  (see  p.  40),  and  Ti-ffany  is  an  old  name  for 
Epiphany.  It  comes  from  Greco-Latin  theophania 
(while  Epiphany  represents  epiphania),  which  gave 
the  French  female  name  Tiphaine,  whence  our  Ti'ffln. 
Lammas  (loaf  mass)  is  also  found  as  a  personal  name, 
but  there  is  a  place  called  Lammas  in  Norfolk.  We 
have  compounds  of  day  in  Halliday  or  Holiday,  Hay- 
day,  for  high  day,  Loveday,  a  day  appointed  for  re- 
conciliations, and  Hockaday,  for  a  child  born  during 
Hocktide,  which  begins  on  the  15th  day  after  Easter. 
It  was  also  called  Hobday,  though  it  is  hard  to  say 
why,  hence  the  name  Hobday,  unless  this  is  to  be 
taken  as  the  day,  or  servant  (see  p.  177),  in  the  service 
of  Hob  ;  cf.  Hohman. 

The  days  of  the  week  are  puzzling,  the  only  one  at 
all  common  being  Munday,  though  most  of  the  others 
are  found  in  earlier  nomenclature.  We  should  rather 
expect  special  attention  to  be  given  to  Sunday  and 


90  THE    BIBLE    AND    THE    CALENDAR 

Friday,  and,  in  fact,  Sonntag  and  Freytag  are  by  far  the 
most  usual  in  German,  while  Dimanche  and  its  per- 
versions are  common  in  France,  and  Vendredi  also 
occurs.  This  makes  me  suspect  some  other  origin, 
probably  local,  for  Munday,  the  more  so  as  Fr.  Di- 
manche, Demange,  etc.,  is  often  for  the  personal  name 
Dominions,  the  etymology  remaining  the  same  as 
that  of  the  .day-name,  the  Lord's  day.  Parts  of  the 
day  seem  to  survive  in  Noo7i,  Eve,  and  Morrow,  but 
Noon  is  local,  Fr.  Noyon  (cf.  Moon,  earher  Mohun, 
from  Moyon),  Eve  is  the  mother  of  mankind,  and 
Morrow  is  for  moor-row,  i.e.  the  row  of  cottages  on 
the  moor. 

We  find  the  same  difficulty  with  the  names  of  the 
months.  Several  of  these  are  represented  in  French, 
but  our  March  has  four  other  origins,  from  March 
in  Cambridgeshire,  from  march,  a  boundary,  from 
marsh,  or  from  Mark ;  while  May  means  in  Mid. 
English  a  maiden  (p.  195),  and  is  also  a  dim.  of 
Matthew  (p.  86).  The  names  of  the  seasons  also 
present  difficulty.  Spring  must  often  correspond  to 
Fr.  La  Fontaine,  but  we  find  also  Lent,^  the  old 
name  for  the  season,  and  French  has  Printemps. 
Summer  and  Winter  "  are  found  very  early  as  personal 
names,  as  are  also  Frost  and  Snow ' ;  but  why  always 
Summers  or  Somers  with  s  and  Winter  without  ? 
The  latter  has  no  doubt  in  many  cases  absorbed 
Vinter,  vintner  (see  p.  41),  but  this  will  not  account 
for  the  complete  absence  of  genitive  forms.  And 
what  has  become  of  the  other  season  ?     We  should 

1  The  cognate  Ger.  Lenz  is  fairly  common,  hence  tlie  frequency 
of  Lent  in  America. 

2  Winter  was  one  of  Hereward'smost  faithful  comrades. 

3  Two  other  common  personal  names  were  Flint  and  Steel. 


MONTH    NAMES  91 

not  expect  to  find  the  learned  word  autumn,  but  neither 
Fall  nor  Harvest,  the  true  English  equivalents,  are  at 
all  common  as  surnames. 

I  regard  this  group,  days,  months,  seasons,  as  one  of 
the  least  clearly  accounted  for  in  our  nomenclature, 
and  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  more  copious 
examples  which  we  find  in  French  and  German  are 
largely  distorted  forms  due  to  the  imitative  instinct, 
or  are  susceptible  of  other  explanations.  This  is 
certainly  true  in  some  cases,  e.g.  Fr.  Mars  is  the 
regular  French  development  of  Medardus,i  a  saint 
to  whom  a  well-known  Parisian  church  is  dedicated ; 
and  the  relationship  of  Janvier  to  Janus  may  be  via 
the  Late  Lat,  januarius,  for  janitor,  a  doorkeeper. 

1  This  was  the  saint  who,  according  to  Ingoldsby,  lived  largely  on 
oysters  obtained  by  the  Red  Sea  shore.  At  his  church  in  Paris  were 
performed  the  '  miracles  '  of  the  Quietists  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
When  the  scenes  that  took  place  became  a  scandal,  the  government 
intervened,  with  the  result  that  a  wag  adorned  the  church  door 
with  the  following  : 

"  De  par  le  Roi,  defense  a  Dieu 
De  faire  miracle  en  ce  lieu." 


CHAPTER    X 

METRONYMICS 

"  During  the  whole  evening  Mr.  Jellyby  sat  in  a  corner  with  his 
head  against  the  wall,  as  if  he  were  subject  to  low  spirits." 

{Bleak  House,  ch.  iv.) 

Bardsley  first  drew  attention  to  the  very  large 
number  of  surnames  derived  from  an  ancestress.  His 
views  have  been  subjected  to  much  ignorant  criticism 
by  writers  who,  taking  upon  themselves  the  task  of 
defending  medieval  virtue,  have  been  unwilling  to 
accept  this  terrible  picture  of  the  moral  condition  of 
England,  etc.  This  anxiety  is  misplaced.  There  are 
many  reasons,  besides  illegitimacy,  for  the  adoption 
of  the  mother's  name.  In  medieval  times  the  children 
of  a  widow,  especially  posthumous  children,  would 
often  assume  the  mother's  name.  Widdowson  itself 
is  sufficiently  common,  and  is  usually  to  be  taken  liter- 
ally, though,  like  Widdows,  it  is  sometimes  from  Wido, 
i.e.  Guy.  Orphans  would  be  adopted  by  female  rela- 
tives, and  a  medieval  Mrs.  Joe  Gargery  would  probably 
have  impressed  her  own  name  rather  than  that  of  her 
husband  on  a  medieval  Pip.  In  a  village  which  counted 
two  Johns  or  Williams,  and  few  villages  did  not,  the 
children  of  one  would  assume,  or  rather  would  be  given 
by  the  public  voice,  the  mother's  name.  Finally, 
metronymics  can  be  collected  in  hundreds  by  anyone 
who   cares   to   work   through   a   few   early   registers. 

92 


FEMALE   FONT-NAMES  93 

Thus,  in  the  Lancashire  Inquests  1205-1307  occur 
plenty  of  people  described  as  the  son  of  Alice,  Beatrice, 
Christiana,  Eda,  Eva,  Mariot,  Matilda,  Quenilda,i 
Sibilla,  Ysolt.  Even  if  illegitimacy  were  the  only  reason, 
that  would  not  concern  the  philologist. 

Female  names  undergo  the  same  course  of  treatment 
as  male  names.  Mary  gave  the  diminutives  Marion 
and  Mariot,  whence  Marriott.  It  was  popularly 
shortened  into  Mai  (cf.  Hal  for  Harry),  which  had 
the  diminutive  Mally.  From  these  we  have  Mawson 
and  Malleson,  the  former  also  belonging  to  Maud. 
Mai  and  Mally  became  Mol  and  Molly,  hence  Molli- 
son.  The  rimed  forms  Pol,  Polly  are  later,  and  names 
in  Pol-  usually  belong  to  Paul  (p.  87).  The  names 
Morris  and  Morrison  occur  too  frequently  to  be  alto- 
gether accounted  for  as  from  the  font-name  Maurice 
and  the  nickname  Moorish,  and  are  sometimes  to  be 
referred  to  Mary.  Similarly  Margaret,  popularly  Mar- 
get,  became  Mag,  Meg,  Mog,  whence  Meggitt,  Moxon, 
etc.  The  rarity  of  Maggot  is  easily  understood,  but 
Poll  Maggot  was  one  of  Jack  Sheppard's  accom- 
plices and  Shakespeare  used  maggot-pie  for  magpie 
{Macbeth,  iii,  4).  Meg  was  rimed  into  Peg,  whence 
Peggs,  Mog  into  Pog,  whence  Pogson,  and  Madge  into 
Padge,  whence  Padgett,  when  this  is  not  for  Patchett 
(p.  89),  or  for  the  Fr.  Paget,  usually  explained  as 
Littlepage.  The  royal  name  Matilda  appears  in  the 
contracted  Maud,  Mould,  Moule,  Molt,  Mahood  (Old 
Fr.  Maheut).  Its  middle  syllable  Till  gave  Tilly, 
Tillson  and  the  dim.  Tillet,  Tillot,  whence  Tillotson. 
From  Beatrice  we  have  Bee,  Beaton  and  Belts,  and 
the  northern  Beattie,  which  are  not  connected  with 
the  great  name  Elizabeth.    This  is  in  medieval  rolls 

1  An  Anglo-Saxon  name,  Cynehild,  whence  Qiiennell. 


94  METRONYMICS 

represented  by  its  cognate  Isabel,  of  which  the 
shortened  form  was  Bell  (p.  8),  or  lb,  the  latter 
giving  Ibhot,  Ibbofson,  and  the  rimed  forms  Tib-, 
Nib-,  Bib-,  Lib-.  Here  also  belong  Ebbs  and  Epps 
rather  than  to  the  Anglo-Sax.  Ebba. 

]\Iany  names  which  would  now  sound  somewhat 
ambitious  were  common  among  the  medieval  peasantry 
and  are  still  found  in  the  outlying  parts  of  England, 
especially  Devon  and  Cornwall.  Among  the  characters 
in  Mr.  Eden  Phillpotts's  Widecombe  Fair  are  two  sisters 
named  Sibley  and  Petronell.  From  Sibilla,  now  Sybil, 
come  most  names  in  Sib-,  though  this  was  used  also  as 
a  dim.  of  Sebastian  (see  also  p.  75),  while  Petronilla  has 
given  Parnell,  Purnell.  As  a  female  name  it  suffered 
the  eclipse  to  which  certain  names  are  accidentally 
subject,  and  became  equivalent  to  wench.  Reference 
to  a  "prattling  Parnel  "  are  common  in  old  writers, 
and  the  same  fate  overtook  it  in  French — 

"  Taisez-vous,  peronndle"   (Tartufe,  i.   i). 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  survival  of 
Guinevere  (p.  79).  From  Cassandra  we  have  Cash, 
Cass,  Case,  and  Casson,  from  Idonia,  Ide,  Iddins, 
Iddison  ;  these  no  doubt  confused  with  the  derivatives 
of  Ida  and  also  of  Eda  and  Edith,  for  the  slayer  of 
Jack  Cade  is  indifferently  called  Iden  and  Edcns. 
Pirn,  as  a  female  font-name,  may  be  from  Eu- 
phemia,  and  Siddons  appears  to  belong  to  Sidonia, 
while  the  pretty  name  Avis  or  Avice  has  given  Haweis. 
From  Lettice,  Lat.  IcBtitia,  joy,  we  have  Letts,  Lettson, 
while  the  corresponding  Joyce,  Lat.  jocosa,  merry,  has 
become  confused  with  Fr.  Josse  (see  p.  10).  Anstey, 
Anstis,  is  from  Anastasia,  Dobell  from  Dulcibella, 
Precious  from  Preciosa,  and  Royce  from  Rohesia. 


DOUBTFUL    CASES  .       95 

It  is  often  difficult  to  separate  patronymics  from 
metronymics.  We  have  already  seen  (p.  60)  that 
names  in  Ed-  may  be  from  Eda  or  from  Edward,  while 
names  in  Gil-  must  be  shared  between  Julian,  Juliana, 
Guillaume,  Gilbert,  and  Giles.  There  are  many  other 
cases  like  Julian  and  Juliana,  e.g.  Custance  is  for 
Constance,  but  Ciist  may  also  represent  the  masculine 
Constant,  while  among  the  derivatives  of  Philip  we 
must  not  forget  the  warlike  Philippa.  Or,  to  take  pairs 
which  are  unrelated,  Kitson  may  be  from  Christopher 
or  from  Catherine  and  Mattison  from  Matthew  or 
from  Martha,  which  became  Matty  and  Patty,  the 
derivatives  of  the  latter  coalescing  with  those  of 
Patrick  (p.  63).  It  is  obvious  that  the  derivatives  of 
Alice  would  be  confused  with  those  of  Allen,  while 
names  in  El-  may  represent  Elias  or  Eleanor.  Also 
names  in  ^/- and  El-  are  sometimes  themselves  confused, 
e.g.  the  Anglo-Saxon  ^Ifgod  appears  both  as  Allgood 
and  Elgood.  More  Nelsons  are  derived  from  Neil,  i.e. 
Nigel,  than  from  Nell,  the  rimed  dim.  of  Ellen.  Emmett 
is  a  dim.  of  Emma,  but  Empson  may  be  a  shortened 
Emerson  from  Emery  (p.  80).  The  rather  common- 
place Tibbies  stands  for  both  Theobald  and  Isabella, 
and  the  same  is  true  of  all  names  in  Tib-  and  some  in 
Teb-.  Lastly,  the  coalescence  of  John,  the  commonest 
English  font-name,  with  Joan,  the  earlier  form  of  Jane, 
was  inevitable,  while  the  French  forms  Jean  and  Jeanne 
would  be  undistinguishable  in  their  derivatives.  These 
names  between  them  have  given  an  immense  number 
of  surnames,  the  masculine  or  feminine  interpretation 
of  which  must  be  left  to  the  reader's  imagination. 


CHAPTER    XI 

LOCAL   SURNAMES 

"  Now  as  men  have  always  first  given  names  unto  places,  so  hath 
it  afterwards  grown  usuall  that  men  have  taken  their  names  from 
places"   (Verstegan,  Restitution  of  Decayed  Intelligence). 

There  is  an  idea  cherished  by  some  people  that  the 
possession  of  a  surname  which  is  that  of  a  village  or 
other  locality  points  to  ancestral  ownership  of  that 
region.  This  is  a  delusion.  In  the  case  of  quite  small 
features  of  the  landscape,  e.g.  Bridge,  Hill,  the  name 
was  given  from  place  of  residence.  But  in  the  case  of 
counties,  towns  and  villages,  the  name  was  usually 
acquired  when  the  locality  was  left.  Thus  John 
Tiler  leaving  Acton,  perhaps  for  Acton's  good,  would 
be  known  in  his  new  surroundings  as  John  Acton. 
A  moment's  reflection  will  show  that  this  must  be  so. 
Scott  is  an  English  name,  the  aristocratic  Scotts 
beyond  the  border  representing  a  Norman  family  Escot, 
originally  of  Scottish  origin.  English,  early  spelt 
Inglis,  is  a  Scottish  name.  The  names  Cornish  and 
Cornwallis  first  became  common  in  Devonshire,  as 
Devenish  did  outside  that  county.  French  and  Francis, 
Old  Fr.  le  franceis,  are  English  names,  just  as 
Langlois  (I'Anglais)  is  common  in  France.  For  the 
same  reason  Cutler  is  a  rare  name  in  Sheffield,  where 
all  are  cutlers.  By  exception  the  name  Curnow,  which 
is  Cornish  for  a  Cornishman,  is  fairly  common  in  its 

96 


CLASSES    OF    LOCAL    NAMES  97 

native  county,  but  it  was  perhaps  applied  especially 
to  those  inhabitants  who  could  onl}^  speak  the  old 
Cornish  language. 

The  local  name  may  range  in  origin  from  a  country 
to  a  plant  {France,  Darbishire,  Lankester,  Ashby,  Street, 
House,  Pound,  Plumptre,  Daisy),  and,  mathematically 
stated,  the  size  of  the  locality  will  vary  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  the  distance  from  which  the  immigrant  has 
come.  Terentius  Afer  was  named  from  a  continent. 
I  cannot  find  a  parallel  in  England,  but  names  such 
as  the  nouns  France,  Ireland,  Pettingell  (Portugal),  or 
the  adjectives  Dench,  Mid.  Eng.  dense,  Danish,  Norman, 
Welsh,  [Walsh,  Wallis,  etc.),  Allman  (Allemand),  often 
perverted  to  Almond,  were  considered  a  sufficient  mark 
of  identification  for  men  who  came  from  foreign  parts. 
But  the  untravelled  inhabitant,  if  distinguished  by  a 
local  name,  would  often  receive  it  from  some  very 
minute  feature  of  the  landscape,  e.g.  Solomon  Daisy 
may  have  been  descended  from  a  Robert  Dayeseye, 
who  lived  in  Hunts  in  1273.  It  is  not  very  easy 
to  see  how  such  very  trifling  surnames  as  this  last 
came  into  existence,  but  its  exiguity  is  surpassed 
in  the  case  of  a  prominent  French  airman  who 
bears  the  appropriately  buo3^ant  name  of  Brindejonc, 
perhaps  from  some  ancestor  who  habitually  chewed 
a  straw. 

An  immense  number  of  our  countrymen  are  simply 
named  from  the  points  of  the  compass,  slightly  dis- 
guised in  N orris,  x\nglo-Fr.  le  noreis,^  Soiheran,  the 
southron,  and  Sterling,  for  Easterling,  a  name  given 
to  the  Hanse  merchants.  Westray  was  formerly  le 
ipestreis.  A  German  was  to  our  ancestors,  as  he  still 
is  to  sailors,  a  Dutchman,  whence  our  name  Douch, 

1  The  corresponding  le  surreis  is  now  probably  obsolete. 


98  -      LOCAL    SURNAMES 

Ger.  deutsch,  Old  High  Ger.  tiutisc,  which,  through 
Old  French  ticis,  has  given  Tycis} 

But  not  every  local  name  is  to  be  taken  at  its  face 
value.  Holland  is  usually  from  Holland  in  Lancashire 
and  England  is  for  Mid.  Eng.  ing-land,  the  land  of  Ing 
(cf.  Ingulf,  Ingold,  etc.),  a  personal  name  which  is  the 
first  element  in  many  place-names,  or  from  mg,  a 
meadow  by  a  stream.  Holyland  is  not  Palestine,  but 
the  holly-land.  Hampshire  is  often  for  Hallamshire, 
a  district  in  Yorkshire.  Dane  is  a  variant  of  Mid.  Eng. 
dene,  a  valley,  the  inhabitant  of  Denmark  having  given 
us  Bench  (p.  97)  and  Dennis  (le  daneis).  Visitors  to 
Margate  will  remember  the  valley  called  the  Dane, 
which  stretches  from  the  harbour  to  St.  Peter's. 
Saxon  is  not  racial,  but  a  perversion  of  sexton  (p.  167). 
Mr.  Birdofredum  Sawin,  commenting  on  the  methods 
employed  in  carrying  out  the  great  mission  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race,   remarks  that — 

"  Saxons  would  be  handy 
To  du  the  buryin'  down  here  upon  the  Rio  Grandy  " 

(Lowell,  Biglow  Papers). 

The  name  Cockayne  was  perhaps  first  given  derisively 
to  a  sybarite — 

"  Paris  est  pour  le  riche  un  pays  de  Cocagne  "    (Boileau,  Let.  6), 

but  it  may  be  an  imitative  form  of  Coken  in  Durham. 

Names  such  as  Morris,  i.e.  Moorish,  but  also  from 
the  personal  name  Maurice,  or  Sarson,  i.e.  Saracen, 
but  also  for  Sara-son,  are  rather  nicknames,  due  to 
complexion  or  to  an  ancestor  who  was  mine  host  of  the 
Saracen's  Head.     Moor  is  sometimes  of  similar  origin. 

1  Tyars,  or  Tyers,  which  Bardsley  puts  with  this,  is  Fr.  Thiers. 
Lat.  tertins. 


COUNTIES    AND    TOWNS  99 

Russ,  like  Rush,  is  one  of  the  many  forms  of  Fv.  roux, 
red-complexioned  (p.  21).  Pole  is  for  Pool,  the  native 
of  Poland  being  called  Pollock — 

"  He  smote  the  sledded  Polack  on  the  ice  "  {Hamlet,  I.  i). 

As  a  rule  it  will  be  found  that  while  most  of  our 
counties  have  given  family  names,  sometimes  cor- 
rupted, e.g.  Lankshear,  Willsher,  Cant,  Chant,  for  Kent, 
with  which  we  may  compare  Anguish  for  Angus, 
the  larger  towns  are  rather  poorly  represented,  the 
movement  having  always  been  from  country  to  town, 
and  the  smaller  spot  serving  for  more  exact  description. 
An  exception  is  Bristow  (Bristol),  Mid.  Eng.  brig-stow, 
the  place  on  the  bridge,  the  great  commercial  city  of 
the  west  from  which  so  many  medieval  seamen  hailed  ; 
but  the  name  is  sometimes  from  Burstow  (Surrey),  and 
there  were  possibly  smaller  places  called  by  so  natural 
a  name,  just  as  the  name  Bradford,  i.e.  broad  ford, 
may  come  from  a  great  many  other  places  than  the 
Yorkshire  wool  town.  Rossiter  is  generally  for  Ro- 
chester, but  also  for  Wroxeter  (Salop)  ;  Coggeshall 
is  well  disguised  as  Coxall,  Barnstaple  as  Bastable, 
Maidstone  as  Mayston,  Stockport  as  Stopford.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  not  a  village  of  any  antiquity  but 
has,  or  once  had,  a  representative  among  surnames. 

The  provinces  and  towns  of  France  and  Flanders 
have  given  us  many  common  surnames.  From  names 
of  provinces  we  have  Burgoyne  and  Burgin,  Champain 
and  Champneys  (p.  20),  Gascoyne  and  Gaskin,  Mayne, 
Mansell,  Old  Fr.  Mancel  {manceau),  an  inhabitant  of 
Maine  or  of  its  capital  Le  Mans,  Brett  and  Britton, 
Fr.  le  Bret  and  le  Breton,  Pickard  and  Power,  some- 
times from  Old  Fr.  Pokier,  a  Picard,  Peto,  formerly 
Peitow,    from    Poitou,    Poidevin    and    Piiddifin,    for 


100  LOCAL    SURNAMES 

Poitevin,  Loring,  Old  Fr.  le  Lohcrcng,  the  man  from 
Lorraine,  assimilated  to  Fleming,  Hamcay,  an  old 
name  for  Hainault,  Brahazon,  le  Brabangon,  and 
Brchner,  formerly  le  Brabaner,  Angwin,  for  Angevin, 
Flinders,  a  perversion  of  Flanders,  Barry,  which  is 
often  for  Berri,  and  others  which  can  be  identified 
by  everybody. 

Among  towns  we  have  Allen  son  and  D  alii  son, 
Alengon,  Amy  as,  Amiens  (cf.  Father  Damien),  Ainger, 
Angers,  Arts,  Arras,  Bevis,  Beauvais,  Bullen,  Boulogne, 
Bloss,  Blois,  Callis  and  Challis,  Calais,  Challen,  Chalon, 
Chaworth,  Cahors,  Druce,  Dreiix,  Gaunt,  Gand  (Ghent), 
Luck,  Luick  (Liege),  Loving,  Louvain,  Luckner,  Du. 
Luykenaar,  man  from  Liege,  Malins,  Malines  (Mechhn), 
Raynes,  Rennes  and  Rheims,  Roan,  Rouen,  Sessions, 
Soissons,  Stamp,  Old  Fr.  Estampes  (Etampes),  Turney, 
Tournay,  etc.  The  name  de  Verdun  is  common  enough 
in  old  records  for  us  to  connect  with  it  both  the  fas- 
cinating Dolly  and  the  illustrious  Flarry.  To  the 
above  may  be  added,  among  German  towns,  Cullen, 
Cologne,  and  Lubbock,  Liibeck,  and,  from  Italy, 
Janes,  Genes  (Genoa),  Janaway  or  Janways,  i.e. 
Genoese,  and  Lambard  or  Lombard.  Familiar  names 
of  foreign  towns  were  often  anglicized.  Thus  we  find 
Hamburg  called  Hamborough,  Bruges  Bridges,  and 
Tours  Towers. 

To  the  town  of  Angers  we  owe,  besides  Ainger, 
the  forbidding  names  Anger  and  Danger.  In  many 
local  names  of  foreign  origin  the  preposition  de  has 
been  incorporated,  e.g.  Dalmain,  d'Allemagne,  some- 
times corrupted  into  Dallman  and  Dollman,  though 
these  are  also  for  Doleman,  from  the  East  Anglian 
dole,  a  boundary,  Danvers,  d'Anvers,  Antwerp,  Dcver- 
eux,  d'Evreux,  Daubeney,  Dabney,  d'Aubigny,  Disney, 


NAMES    PRECEDED    BY    DE  loi 

d'Isigny,  etc.  Doyle  is  a  later  form  of  Doyley,  or 
Dolley,  from  d'Ouilli,  and  Darcy  and  Durfey  were  once 
d'Arcy  and  d'Urfe.  Dew  is  sometimes  for  de  Eu. 
Sir  John  de  Grey,  justice  of  Chester,  had  in  1246  two 
Alice  in  Wonderland  clerks  named  Henry  de  Eu  and 
William  de  Ho.  This  retention  of  the  de  is  also 
common  in  names  derived  from  spots  which  have  not 
become  recognized  place-names  ;  see  p.  140.  A  familiar 
example,  which  has  been  much  disputed,  is  the  Cam- 
bridgeshire name  Death,  which  some  of  its  possessors 
prefer  to  wTite  D'Aeth  or  De  Ath.  Bardsley  rejects 
this,  without,  I  think,  sufficient  reason.  It  is  true  that 
it  occurs  as  de  Dethe  in  the  Hundred  Rolls,  but  this 
is  not  a  serious  argument,  for  we  find  also  de  Dauheney 
(see  p.  100),  the  original  de  having  already  been 
absorbed  at  the  time  the  Rolls  were  compiled. 

But  to  derive  a  name  of  obviously  native  origin  from 
a  place  in  France  is  a  snobbish,  if  harmless,  delusion. 
There  are  quite  enough  moor  leys  in  England  without 
explaining  Morley  by  Morlaix.  To  connect  the  Mid. 
English  nickname  Longfellow  with  Longueville  or 
the  patronymic  Hansom  (p.  36)  with  Anceaumville 
betrays  the  same  belief  in  phonetic  epilepsy  that 
inspires  the  derivation  of  Barber  from  the  chapelry 
of  Sainte-Barbe.  The  fact  that  there  are  at  least 
three  places  in  England  called  Carrington  has  not 
prevented  one  writer  from  seeking  the  origin  of  that 
name  in  the  appropriate  locality  of  Charenton. 


CHAPTER    XII 

SPOT   NAMES 

"  In  ford,  in  ham,  in  ley  and  tun 
The  most  of  English  surnames  run  " 

(Verstegan). 

Verstegan's  couplet,  even  if  it  be  not  strictly  true, 
makes  a  very  good  text  for  a  discourse  on  our  local 
names.  The  ham,  or  home,  and  the  ton,  or  town, 
originally  an  enclosure  (cf.  Ger.  Zaun,  hedge),  were, 
at  any  rate  in  a  great  part  of  England,  the  regular 
nucleus  of  the  village,  which  in  some  cases  has  become 
the  great  town  and  in  others  has  decayed  away  and 
disappeared  from  the  map.  In  an  age  when  wool 
was  our  great  export,  flock  keeping  was  naturally  a 
most  important  calling,  and  the  ley,  or  meadow  land, 
would  be  quickly  taken  up  and  associated  with  human 
activity.  When  bridges  were  scarce,  fords  were  im- 
portant, and  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the  inn,  the  smithy, 
the  cartwright's  booth,  etc.,  would  naturally  plant 
themselves  at  such  a  spot  and  form  the  commence- 
ment of  a  hamlet 

Each  of  these  four  words  exists  by  itself  as  a  specific 
place-name  and  also  as  a  surname.  In  fact  Lee  and 
Ford  are  among  our  commonest  local  surnames.  In 
the  same  way  the  local  origin  of  such  names  as  Clay 
and  Chalk  may  be  specific  as  well  as  general.     But  I 


ELEMENTS    OF    PLACE-NAMES  103 

do  not  propose  to  deal  here  with  the  vast  subject  of 
our  EngHsh  village  names,  but  only  with  the  essential 
elements  of  which  they  are  composed,  elements  which 
were  often  used  for  surnominal  purposes  long  before 
the  spot  itself  had  developed  into  a  village.^  Thus 
the  name  Oakley  must  generally  have  been  borne  by  a 
man  who  lived  on  meadow  land  which  was  surrounded 
or  dotted  with  oak-trees.  But  I  should  be  shy  of 
explaining  a  given  village  called  Oakley  in  the  same 
way,  because  the  student  of  place-names  might  be 
able  to  show  from  early  records  that  the  place  was 
originally  an  ey,  or  island,  and  that  the  first  syllable 
is  the  disguised  name  of  a  medieval  churl.  These  four 
simple  etymons  themselves  may  also  become  perverted. 
Thus  -ham  is  sometimes  confused  with  holm  (p.  117), 
-ley,  as  I  have  just  suggested,  may  in  some  cases 
contain  -ey,  -ton  occasionally  interchanges  with  -don 
and  -stone,  a.nd -ford  with  the  French  -fort  (see  p.  139). 
In  this  chapter  will  be  found  a  summary  of  the 
various  words  applied  by  our  ancestors  to  the  natural 
features  of  the  land  they  lived  on.  To  avoid  too 
lengthy  a  catalogue,  I  have  classified  them  under  the 
three  headings  (i)  Hill  and  Dale,  (2)  Plain  and  Wood- 

1  A  good  general  account  of  our  village  names  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix  to  Isaac  Taylor's  Names  and  their  Histories.  It  is 
reprinted  as  chapter  xi  of  the  same  author's  Words  and  Places 
(Everyman  Library),  in  which  new  setting  it  shines,  philologically, 
like  a  good  deed  in  a  naughty  world.  There  are  a  few  excellent 
monographs  on  the  village  names  of  various  counties,  e.g.  Bedford- 
shire, Berkshire,  Cambridgeshire,  Hertfordshire,  Huntingdonshire 
(Skeat),  Oxfordshire  (Alexander),  Lancashire  (Wyld  and  Hirst), 
West  Riding  of  Yorkshire  (Moorman),  Staffordshire,  Warwickshire, 
Worcestershire  (Duignan),  to  which,  by  the  time  these  lines  are 
printed,  may  be  added  Nottinghamshire  by  my  colleague  Dr.  H. 
Mutschmann.  But  the  greater  part  of  what  has  been  done  on  this 
subject  by  earlier  writers  is,  says  Dr.  Bradley,  worthless. 


104  SPOT    NAMES 

land,  (3)  Water  and  Waterside,  reserving  for  the  next 
chapter  the  names  due  to  man's  interference  with  the 
scenery,  e.g.  roads,  buildings,  enclosures,  etc.  They 
are  mostly  Anglo-Saxon  or  Scandinavian,  the  Celtic 
name  remaining  as  the  appellation  of  the  individual 
hill,  stream,  etc.  (Helvellyn,  Avon,  etc.).  The  simple 
word  has  in  almost  all  cases  given  a  fairly  common 
surname,  but  compounds  are  of  course  numerous,  the 
first  element  being  descriptive  of  the  second,  e.g. 
Bradley,  broad  lea,  Radley  and  Ridley,  red  lea,  Brockley, 
brook  lea  or  badger  lea  (p.  225),  Beverley,  beaver  lea, 
Cleverlcy,  clover  lea,  Hawley,  hedge  lea,  Rawnsley, 
raven's  lea,  and  so  ad  infinitum.  In  the  oldest  records 
spot  names  are  generally  preceded  by  the  preposition 
at,  whence  such  names  as  Attewell,  Atwood,  but  other 
prepositions  occur,  as  in  Bythesea,  Underwood  and  the 
hybrid  Surtees,  on  Tees.  Cf.  such  French  names  as 
Doutrepont,  from  beyond  the  bridge. 

One  curious  phenomenon,  of  which  I  can  offer  no 
explanation,  is  that  while  many  spot  names  occur 
indifferently  with  or  without  -s,  e.g.  Bridge,  Bridges  ; 
Brook,  Brooks  ;  Piatt,  Plaits,  in  others  we  find  a 
regular  preference  either  for  the  singular  or  plural  ^ 
form.     Compare   the   following  couples  : 


Field 

Meadows 

Lake 

Rivers 

Pool 

Mears  (meres) 

spring 

Wells 

Street 

Rhodes  *  (roads) 

Marsh 

Myers  ^  (mires) 

1  In  some  cases  no  doubt  a  plural,  in  others  a  kind  of  genitive 
due  to  the  influence  of  personal  names,  such  as  Wills,  Perkins,  etc. 

2  These  are  often  also  Jewish  names,  from  the  island  of  Rhodes 
and  from  Ger.  Meyer. 


HILL    AND    DALE  105 

to  which  many  more  might  be  added.  So  we  find 
regularly  Nokes  but  Nash  (p.  34),  Beech  but  Willows. 
The  general  tendency  is  certainly  towards  the  -s  forms 
in  the  case  of  monosyllables,  e.g.  Banks,  Foulds,  Hayes, 
Stubbs,  Thwaites,  etc.,  but  we  naturally  find  the  singular 
in  compounds,  e.g.  Windehank  (winding),  Ncttlefold, 
Roundhay,  etc. 

There  is  also  a  further  problem  offered  by  names 
in  -er.  We  know  that  a  Waller  was  a  mason  or  wall- 
builder,  but  was  a  Bridge/  really  a  Pontifex,^  did  he 
merely  live  near  the  bridge,  or  was  he  the  same  as  a 
Bridgman,  and  what  was  the  latter  ?  Did  Sam  Weller's 
ancestor  sink  wells,  possess  a  well,  or  live  near  some- 
one else's  well  ?  Probably  all  explanations  may  be 
correct,  for  the  suffix  may  have  differed  in  meaning 
according  to  locality,  but  I  fancy  that  in  most  cases 
proximity  alone  is  implied.  The  same  applies  to  many 
cases  of  names  in  -man,  such  as  Hillman,  Dickman 
(dyke),  Parkman. 

Many  of  the  words  in  the  following  paragraphs  are 
obsolete  or  survive  only  in  local  usage.  Some  of  them 
also  vary  considerably  in  meaning,  according  to  the 
region  in  which  they  are  found.  I  have  included  many 
which,  in  their  simple  form,  seem  too  obvious  to  need 
explanation,  because  the  compounds  are  not  always 
equally  clear. 

Hill  and  Dale 

We  have  a  fair  number  of  Celtic  words  connected 
with  natural  scenery,  but  they  do  not  as  a  rule  form 

1  An  example  of  a  Latinized  name.  Cf.  Siitor,  Faher,  and  the 
barbarous  Sartorius,  for  sartor,  a  tailor.  Pontifex  may  also  be  the 
latinized  form  of  Pope  or  Bishop.  It  is  not  known  why  this  title, 
bridge-builder,  was  given  to  high-priests. 


io6  SPOT    NAMES 

compounds,  and  as  surnames  are  usually  found  in 
their  simple  form.  Such  are  Cairn,  a  stony  hill,  Crag, 
Craig,  and  the  related  Car  rick  and  Creagh,  Glen  or 
Glynn,  and  Lynn,  a  cascade.  Two  words,  however, 
of  Celtic  origin,  don,  or  down,  a  hill,  and  combe,  a 
hollow  in  the  hills,  were  adopted  by  the  Anglo-Saxons 
and  enter  into  many  compounds.  Thus  we  find 
Kingdon,  whence  the  imitative  Kingdom,  Brandon, 
from  the  name  Brand  (p.  74),  Ashdown,  etc.  The 
simple  Donne  or  Dunne  is  sometimes  the  Anglo-Saxon 
name  Dunna,  whence  Dumting,  or  a  colour  nickname, 
while  Down  and  Downing  may  represent  the  Anglo- 
Sax.  Duna  and  Duning  (see  p.  76).  From  combe,  used 
especially  in  the  west  of  England,  we  have  Compton, 
and  such  compounds  as  Acomb,  at  combe,  Addiscombe 
(Adam),  Battiscombe  (Bartholomew),  etc.  But  Newcomb 
is  for  Newcome  (p.  22).     See  also  Slocomb  (p.  207). 

The  simple  Hill  and  Dale  are  among  our  common 
surnames.  Hill  also  appears  as  Hull  and  is  easily 
disguised  in  compounds,  e.g.  Brummel  for  broom-hill, 
Tootell  and  Tuttle  for  Toothill,  a  name  found  in 
many  localities  and  meaning  a  hill  on  which  a  watch 
was  kept.  It  is  connected  with  the  verb  to  tout, 
originally  to  look  out.  We  have  Dale  and  its  cognate 
Dell  in  Swindell  (swine),  Tindall  (Tyne),  Twaddell, 
Tweddell  (Tweed),  etc. — 

"  Mr.  H.  T.  Twaddle  announced  the  change  of  his  name  to  Tweed- 
dale  in  the  Times,  January  4,  1890  "   (Bardsley). 

Other  names  for  a  hill  are  Fell  (Scand.),  found  in  the 
lake  country,  whence  Grenfell ;  and  Hough  or  How 
(Scand.),  as  in  Greenhow,  Birchenotigh,  and  Goode- 
nough  ^  (Godwin),     This  is  often  reduced  to  -0,  as  in 

1  Probably  not  a  nickname.  Its  apparent  opposite,  Badenough, 
is  for  Badenoch  in  Scotland. 


HILLS  107 

Clitheroe,  Shafto,  and  is  easily  confused  with  scough, 
a  wood  (Scand.),  as  in  Briscoe  (birch),  Ay  scough  (ash). 
In  the  north  we  also  find  Law  and  Low,  with  such 
compounds  as  Bradlaugh,  Whitelaw,  and  Harlow.  To 
these  must  be  added  Barrow,  often  confused  with  the 
related  borough  (p.  121).  Both  belong  to  the  Anglo- 
Sax,  heorgan,  to  protect,  cover.  The  name  Leather- 
harrow  means  the  hill,  perhaps  the  burial  mound,  of 
Leather,  Anglo-Sax.  Hlothere,  cognate  with  Lothair 
and  Luther. 

A  hill-top  was  Cope  or  Copp.     Chaucer  uses  it  of  the 
tip  of  the  Miller's  nose — 

"Upon  the  cope  right  of  his  nose  he  hade 
A  werte,  and  thereon  stood  a  toft  of  herys." 

(A.  554.) 

Another  name  for  a  hill-top  appears  in  Peak,  Pike, 
Peck,  or  Pick,  but  the  many  compounds  in  Pick-,  e.g. 
Pickhoiirne,  Pick  ford,  Pickwick,  etc.,  suggest  a  per- 
sonal name  Pick  of  which  we  have  the  dim.  in  Pickett 
(cf.  Fr.  Picot)  and  the  softened  Piggot.  We  find  Peak 
also  as  Peach  and  Petch,  Anglo-French  forms  appHed 
specifically  to  the  Derbyshire  Peak.  A  mere  hillock  or 
knoll  has  given  the  names  Knapp,  Knollys  or  Knowles, 
Knock,  and  Knott.  But  Knapp  may  also  be  for  Mid. 
Eng.  cnape,  cognate  with  knave  and  with  Low  Ger. 
Knappe,  squire — 

"Wer  wagt  es,  Rittersmann  oder  Knapp', 
Zu  tauchen  in  diesen  Schlund  ?  " 

(Schiller,  Der  Tancher,  1.   i.) 

Redknap.  the  name  of  a  Richmond  boat-builder,  is 
probably  a  nickname,  like  Redhead.  A  Knapper  may 
have  lived  on  a  "  knap,"  or  may  have  been  one  of  the 
Suffolk  fiint-knappers,  who  still  prepare  gun-flints  for 


io8  SPOT   NAMES 

weapons  to  be  retailed  to  the  heathen.  Knock  and 
Knocker  are  both  Kentish  names,  and  there  is  a  reef 
off  Margate  known  as  the  Kentish  Knock.  We  have 
the  plural  Knox  (cf.  Bax,  p.  125).  Knott  is  sometimes 
for  Cnut,  or  Canute,  which  generally  becomes  Nutt. 
Both  have  got  mixed  with  the  nickname  Nott. 

A  green  knoll  was  also  called  Toft  (Scand.),  whence 
Langtoft,  and  the  name  was  used  later  for  a  homestead. 
From  Cliff  we  have  Clift,^  with  excrescent  -t,  and  the 
cognates  Clcevc  and  Clive.  Compounds  of  Cliff  are 
Radcliffe  (red),  Sutcliffe  (south),  Wyclif  (white).  The 
c-  sometimes  disappears  in  compounds,  e.g.  Cunliffc, 
earlier  Cunde-clive,  and  Topliff ;  but  Ayliffe  is  for 
^Ifgifu  or  iEthelgifu  and  Goodliffe  from  Godleof  (cf. 
Ger.  Gottlieb).  The  older  form  of  Stone  appears  in 
Staines,  Stanhope,  Stanton,  etc.  Wheatstone  is  either 
for  white  stone  or  for  the  local  Whetstone  (Middlesex) . 
In  Balderstone,  Johnston,  Edmondstone,  Livingstone, 
the  suffix  is  -ton,  though  the  frequence  of  Johnston 
points  to  corruption  from  Johnson,  just  as  in  Not- 
tingham we  have  the  converse  case  of  Beeson  from 
the  local  Beeston.  In  Hailstone  the  first  element  is 
Mid.  Eng.  hali,  holy.  Another  Mid.  English  name 
for  a  stone  appears  in  Hone,  now  used  only  of  a 
whetstone. 

A  hollow  or  valley  in  the  hillside  was  called  in  the 
north  Clough,  also  spelt  Clow,  Cleugh  (Clim  o'  the 
Cleugh),  and  Clew.  The  compound  Fairclough  is 
found  corrupted  into  Fair  cloth.  Another  northern 
name  for  a  glen  was  Hope,  whence  Allsop,  Blenkinsop, 
Trollope,  the  first  element  in  each  being  probably  the 
name  of  the  first  settler,  and  Burnnp,  Hartopp  (hart), 
Harrap  (hare),  Heslop  (hazel).     Gill  (Scand.),  a  ravine, 

1  This  may  also  be  from  Mid.  Eng.  clift,  a  cleft. 


WOODLAND    AND    PLAIN  109 

has  given  Fothergill,  Pickersgill,  and  Gaskcll,  from 
Gaisgill  (Westmorland).  These,  hke  most  of  our 
names  connected  with  mountain  scenery,  are  natur- 
ally found  almost  exclusively  in  the  north.  Other 
surnames  which  belong  more  or  less  to  the  hill 
country  are  Hole,  found  also  as  Holl,  Hoole,  and 
Hoyle,  but  perhaps  meaning  merely  a  depression  in 
the  land.  Ridge,  and  its  northern  form  Rigg,  with 
their  compounds  Doddridge,  Langridge,  Brownrigg, 
Hazelrigg,  etc.  But  Penkridge,  Pankridge  are  dis- 
tortions of  Pancras  or  Pancratius.  From  Mid.  Eng. 
raike,  a  path,  a  sheep-track  (Scand.),  we  get  Raikes 
and  Greatorcx,  found  earlier  as  Greatrakes,  the  name  of 
a  famous  faith-healer  of  the  seventeenth  century. 


Woodland  and  Plain 

The  compounds  of  Wood  itself  are  very  numerous,  e.g. 
Braidwood,  Harwood,  Norwood,  Sherrard  and  Sherratt 
(Sherwood).  But,  in  considering  the  frequency  of  the 
simple  Wood,  it  must  be  remembered  that  we  find 
people  described  as  le  wode,  i.e.  mad  (cf.  Ger.  Wut, 
frenzy),  and  that  7nad  and  madman  are  found  as 
medieval  names — 

"Thou  told'st  me  they  were  stolen  unto  this  wood  ; 
And  here  am  I,  and  wode  within  this  wood, 
Because  I  cannot  meet  my  Hermia." 

{Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  ii.   i.) 

As  a  suffix  -wood  is  sometimes  a  corruption  of  -ward, 
e.g.  Haywood  is  occasionally  for  Hayward,  and 
Allwood,  Elwood  are  for  Aylward,  Anglo-Sax.  ^Ethel- 
weard.  Another  name  for  a  wood  was  Holt,  cognate 
with  Ger.  Holz — 


no  SPOT   NAMES 

"But  right  so  as  thise  holies  and  thise  hayis. 
That  han  in  winter  dede  ben  and  dreye, 
Revesten  hem  in  grene  whan  that  May  is." 

[Troilus  and  Criseyde,  iii.  351.) 

Hurst  or  Hirst  means  a  wooded  hill  (cf.  Ger.  Horst), 
and  Shaw  was  once  almost  as  common  a  word  as 
wood  itself — 

"  Wher  rydestow  under  this  grene-wode  shawe  ?  " 

(D,   1386.) 

Hurst  belongs  especially  to  the  south  and  west,  though 
Hirst  is  very  common  in  Yorkshire ;  Shaw  is  found  in 
the  north  and  Holt  in  the  east  and  south.  We  have 
compounds  of  Shaw  in  Bradshaw,  Crashaw  (crow), 
Hearnshaw  or  Eanishaw  (heron),  Renshaw^  (raven),  etc., 
of  Hurst  in  Buckhurst  (beech),  Brockhurst  (badger), 
and   of  Holt  in  Oakshott. 

We  have  earlier   forms  of  Grove  in  Greaves — 

"  And  with  his  stremes  dryeth  in  the  greves 
The  silver  dropes,  hangynge  on  the  leves  "  (A.   1495) — 

and  Graves,  the  latter  being  thus  no  more  funereal  than 
Tombs,  from  Thomas  (cf .  Timbs  from  Timothy) .  But 
Greaves  and  Graves  may  also  be  variants  of  the  official 
Grieves  (p.  i8i),  or  may  come  from  Mid.  Eng.  grcsfe, 
a  trench,  quarry.  Compounds  are  Hargreave  (hare), 
Redgrave,  Stangravc,  the  two  latter  probably  referring 
to  an  excavation.  From  Mid.  Eng.  strode,  a  small 
wood,  appear  to  come  Strode  and  Stroud,  compound 
Bulstrode,  while  Struthers  is  the  cognate  strother,  marsh, 
still  in  dialect  use.  Weald  and  wold,  the  cognates  of 
Ger.  Wald,  were  applied  rather  to  wild  country  in 
general  than  to  land  covered  with  trees.     They  are 

1  It  is  obvious  that  this  iTxay  also  be  for  raven's  haw  (p.  124). 
Raven  was  a  common  personal  name  and  is  the  first  element  in 
Ramsbottom  (p.  114),  Ramsden, 


FOREST   CLEARINGS  iii 

probably  connected  with  wild.  Similarly  the  Late 
Lat.  forcsta,  whence  our  forest,  means  only  what  is 
outside,  Lat.  foris,  the  town  jurisdiction.  From  the 
Mid.  Eng.  wceld  we  have  the  names  Weld  and  Weale, 
the  latter  with  the  not  uncommon  loss  of  final  -d. 
Scroggs  (Scand.)  and  Scrubhs  suggest  their  meaning 
of  brushwood.  Scroggins,  from  its  form,  is  a  patro- 
nymic, and  probably  represents  Scoggins  with  intru- 
sive -r-  (p.  88,  n.  i).  This  is  from  Scogin,  a  name  borne 
by  a  poet  who  was  contemporary  with  Chaucer  and 
by  a  court-fool  of  the  fifteenth  century — 

"  The  same  Sir  John,  the  very  same.  I  saw  him  break  Skogan's 
head  at  the  court  gate,  when  he  was  a  crack,  not  thus  high." 

(2  Henry  IV.,  iii.  2.) 

With  Scruhh  of  cloudy  ammonia  fame  we  may 
compare  Wormwood  Scrubbs.  Shrubb  is  the  same 
word,  and  Shropshire  is  for  Anglo-Sax.  scrob-scire. 

The  two  northern  names  for  a  clearing  in  the  wood 
were  Royd  and  Thwaite  (Scand.).  The  former  is 
cognate  with  the  second  part  of  Bs-ireut  and  Wernige- 
rode,  and  with  the  Rutli,  the  small  plateau  on  which 
the  Swiss  patriots  took  their  famous  oath.  It  was  so 
called — 

"Weil  dort  die  'SNald.xxngausgerodet  ward." 

(Schiller,  Wilhelm  Tell.) 

Among  its  compounds  are  Ackroyd  (oak),  Grindrod 
(green),  Mitrgatroyd  (Margaret),  Learoyd  (lea),  Ormerod, 
etc.  We  also  find  the  name  Rodd,  which  m^ay  belong 
here  or  to  Rudd  (p.  74),  and  both  these  names  may  also 
be  for  Rood,  equivalent  to  Cross  or  Crouch  (p.  17),  as 
in  Holyrood.  Ridding  is  also  related  to  Royd.  Hacking 
may  be  a  dim.  of  Hack  (Haco),  but  we  find  also  de  le 
hacking,   which  suggests  a  forest  clearing.     Thwaite, 


112  SPOT   NAMES 

from  Anglo-Sax.  ]>ivitan,  to  cut,  is  found  chiefly  in 
Cumberland  and  the  adjacent  region  in  such  com- 
pounds as  Braithwaitc  (broad),  Hehhelthwaite,  Postle- 
thwaite,  Satterthwaite.  The  second  of  these  is  some- 
times corrupted  into  Ahlewhite  as  Cowperthwaite  is 
into  Copperwhcat,  for  "  this  sufhx  has  ever  been 
too  big  a  mouthful  in  the  south"  (Bardsley).  A 
glade  or  valley  in  the  wood  was  called  a  Dean, 
Dene,  Denne,  cognate  with  den.  The  compounds  are 
numerous,  e.g.  Borden  (boar),  Dibden  (deep),  Sowden, 
Sugden  (sow),  Hazeldean  or  Heseltine,  etc.  From  the 
fact  that  swine  were  pastured  in  these  glades  the  names 
Denman  and  Denyer  have  been  explained  as  equivalent 
to  swineherd.  As  a  sufhx  -den  is  often  confused  with 
-don  (p.  io6).  At  the  foot  of  Horsenden  Hill,  near 
Harrow,  two  boards  announce  Horsen^o;;  Farm  and 
Horsenden  Golf-links.  An  opening  in  the  wood  was 
also  called  Slade — 

"  And  when  he  came  to  Barnesdale, 
Great  heavinesse  there  hee  hadd  ; 
He  found  two  of  his  fellowes 
Were  slaine  both  in  a  slade." 

(Robin  Hood  and  Guy  of  Gisborne.) 

The  maps  still  show  Pond  Slade  in  Richmond  Park. 
The  compound  Hertslet  may  be  for  hart- slade. 

Acre,  a  field,  cognate  with,  but  not  derived  from,Lat. 
ager,  occurs  in  Goodacre,  Hardacre,  Linacre,  Whittaker, 
etc.,  and  Field  itself  gives  numerous  compounds,  in- 
cluding Biitterfield  (bittern,  p.  220),  Scho field  (school), 
Streatfeild  (street),  Whitfield.  Pasture- land  is  repre- 
sented above  all  by  Lea,  for  which  see  p.  28.  It  is 
cognate  with  Uohenlohe  and  Water/00,  while  Mead 
and  Medd  are  cognate  with  Zermatt  (at  the  mead). 
Brinsmead  thus  means  the  same  as  Brinsley. 


MARSHES  t±S 

Marshy  land  has  given  the  names  Carr  or  Kerr  {Sca.nd.) 
and  Marsh,  originally  an  adjective,  merisc,  from  mer, 
mere.  Marris  represents  the  cognate  Fr.  marais.  The 
compounds  Tidmarsh  and  Titchmarsh  contain  the 
Anglo-Saxon  names  Tidda  and  Ticca.  Moor  also 
originally  had  the  meaning  morass  [e.g.  in  Sedgemoor), 
as  Ger.  Moor  still  has,  so  that  Fenimore  is  pleonastic. 
The  northern  form  is  Muir,  as  in  Muirhead.  Moss 
was  similarly  used  in  the  north  ;  cf.  moss-trooper  and 
Solway  Moss,  but  the  surname  Moss  is  generally  for 
Moses  (p.  85).  From  slough  we  get  the  names  Slow, 
Slowley,  and  Sloman  (also  a  perversion  of  Solomon), 
with  which  we  may  compare  Moorman  and  Mossman. 
This  seems  to  be  also  the  most  usual  meaning  of 
Slack  or  Slagg,  also  used  of  a  gap  in  the  hills — 

"The  first  horse  that  he  rode  upon, 
For  he  was  raven  black. 
He  bore  him  far,  and  very  far. 
But  failed  in  a  slack." 

{Ballad  of  Lady  Maisry.) 

Tye,  or  Tighe,  means  common  land.  Piatt  is  a 
piece,  or  plot,  of  level  country — 

"  Oft  on  a  plat  of  rising  ground 
I  hear  the  far-off  curfew  sound" 

{Penseroso,  1.   73); 

and  shape  is  expressed  by  Gore,  a  triangular  piece  of 
land  (cf.  Kensington  Gore),  of  which  the  older  form 
Gare,  Geare,  also  survives.  In  Lowndes  we  have  laund 
or  lound — 

"  And  to  the  laund  he  rideth  hym  ful  right, 
For  thider  was  the  hart  wont  have  his  flight" 

(A.   1 691) — 

a  piece  of  heath  land,  the  origin  of  the  modern  word 
lawn.     In  Lund  and  Lunn   it  has  become   confused 
9 


114  SPOT    NAMES 

with  the  Old  Norse  lundr,  a  sacred  grove.     Lauiid  itself 
is  of  French  origin — 

"  Lande,  a  land,  or  laund  ;  a  wild,  untilled,  shrubbie,  or  bushie 
plaine  "   (Cotgrave). 

Its  relation  to  land  is  uncertain,  and  it  is  not  always 
possible  to  distinguish  them  in  such  compounds  as 
Acland,  Buckland,  Cleveland,  etc.  The  name  Lander 
or  Launder  is  unconnected  with  these  (see  p.  i86). 
Flack  is  Mid.  Eng.  flagge,  turf.  Snape  is  a  dialect 
word  for  winter  pasture,  and  Wong  means  a  meadow. 
A  rather  uncouth-looking  set  of  names,  which  occur 
chiefly  on  the  border  of  Cheshire  and  Lancashire, 
are  compounded  from  bottom  or  botham,  a  wide 
shallow  valley  suited  for  agriculture.  Hotspur,  dis- 
satisfied with  his  fellow-conspirators'  map-drawing, 
expresses  his  intention  of  damming  the  Trent  so 
that— 

"  It  shall  not  wind  with  such  a  deep  indent 
To  rob  me  of  so  rich  a  bottom  here." 

(i  Henry  IV.  iii.   i.) 

The  first  element  is  sometimes  the  name  of  the  settler, 
e.g.  Higginbottom  (Richard),  Rowbotham  (Roland), 
The  first  element  of  Shuiflebotham  is,  in  the  Lancashire 
Assize  Rolls  (i  176-1285),  spelt  Schyppewalle-  and 
Schyppewelle-,  where  schyppe  is  for  sheep,  still  so 
pronounced  in  dialect. 

Water  and  Waterside 

Very  few  surnames  are  taken,  in  any  language,  from 
the  names  of  rivers.  This  is  quite  natural,  for  just  as 
the  man  who  lived  on  a  hill  became  known  as  Hill, 
Peake,  etc.,  and  not  as  Skiddaw  or  Wrekin,  so  the 


RIVERS  115 

man  who  lived  by  the  waterside  would  be  known  as 
Bywater,  Rivers,  etc.  No  Londoner  talks  of  going  on 
the  Thames.  Another  reason  for  the  absence  of  such 
surnames  is  probably  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  our 
river  (and  mountain)  names  are  almost  exclusively 
Celtic,  and  had  no  connotation  for  the  English  popu- 
lation. We  have  many  apparent  river  names,  but  most 
of  them  are  susceptible  of  another  explanation.  Dee 
may  be  for  Day  as  Deakin  is  for  Daykin,  Derwent 
looks  like  Darwin  (p.  73)  or  the  local  Darwen  with 
excrescent  -t  (p.  41),  Huniher  is  Humbert,  a  French  name 
corresponding  to  the  Anglo-Sax.  Hunbeorht,  Medway 
is  merely  "  mid- way,"  which  is  also  the  origin  of  the 
river  name,  and  Trent  is  a  place  in  Somerset.  Severn 
I  guess  to  be  a  perversion  of  Mid.  Eng.  le  severe, 
which  may  mean  what  it  appears  to,  though  it  is 
more  probably  the  name  of  a  sieve-maker,  whence 
the  name  Seaver.  This  view  as  to  river  surnames  is 
supported  by  the  fact  that  we  do  not  appear  to  have 
a  single  mountain  surname,  the  apparent  exception, 
Snowdon,  being  for  Snowden  (see  den,  p.  112). 

Among  names  for  streams  we  have  Beck,^  cognate 
with  Ger.  Bach,  Bourne,^  or  Burn,  cognate  with  Ger. 
Brunnen,  Brook,  related  to  break.  Crick,  a  creek,  Fleet, 
a  creek,  cognate  with  Flood,  and  Syke,  a  trench  or 
rill.  In  Beckett  and  Brockett  the  suffix  is  head  (p.  126). 
Troutbeck,  Birkbeck  explain  themselves.  In  Colbeck 
we  have  cold,  Glazebrook  is  for  glassy  brook,  Holbrook 
contains  hollow,  and  Addenbrook  means  "  at  the 
brook"  (p.  104).  We  find  Brook  latinized  as  Torrens. 
Aborn  is  for  atte  bourne,  and  there  are  probably  many 

^  The  simple  Beck  is  generally  a  German  name  of  modern  intro- 
duction (p.  149). 

2  Distinct  from  bourne,  a  boundary,  Fr.  borne. 


ii6  SPOT    NAMES 

places  called  Blackburn  and  Otterhurn.  Firth,  an 
estuary,  cognate  with  fjord,  often  becomes  Frith,  but 
this  surname  usually  comes  from  frith,  a  park  or 
game  preserve  (p.  124). 

Another  word  for  a  creek,  wich  or  wick  (Scand.), 
cannot  be  distinguished  from  wick,  a  settlement. 
Pond,  a  doublet  of  Pound  (p.  135),  means  a  piece 
of  water  enclosed  by  a  dam,  while  natural  sheets 
of  water  are  Lake,  or  Lack,  not  limited  originally 
to  a  large  expanse,  Mere,  whence  Mears  and  the 
compound  Cranmer  (crane),  and  Pool,  also  Pull  and 
Pole.  We  have  compounds  of  the  latter  in  Poulton 
(p.  4),  Pooley  [ey,  p.  117),  Claypole,  and  Glasspool. 
In  Kent  a  small  pond  is  called  Sole,  whence  Nether- 
sole.  The  bank  of  a  river  or  lake  was  called  Over, 
cognate  with  Ger.  Ufer,  whence  Overend,  Overall 
(hall),  Overbury,  Overland.  The  surname  Shore,  for 
atte  shore,  may  refer  to  the  sea-shore,  but  the  word 
sewer  was  once  regularly  so  pronounced  and  the 
name  was  applied  to  large  drains  in  the  fen  country 
(cf.  Gott,  p.  129).  Beach  is  a  word  of  late  appear- 
ance and  doubtful  origin,  and  as  a  surname  is  usually 
identical  with  Beech. 

Spits  of  land  by  the  waterside  were  called  Hook 
(cf.  Hook  of  Holland  and  Sandy  Hook)  and  Hoe  or 
Hoo,  as  in  Plymouth  Hoe,  or  the  Hundred  of  Hoo, 
between  the  Thames  and  the  Medway.  From  Hook 
comes  Hooker,  where  it  does  not  mean  a  maker  of  hooks, 
while  Homan  and  Hooman  sometimes  belong  to  the 
second.  Alluvial  land  by  a  stream  was  called  halgh, 
haugh,  whence  sometimes  Hawes.  Its  dative  case 
gives  Hale  and  Heal.  These  often  become  -hall  in 
place-names.  Compounds  are  Greenhalgh,  Greenall, 
and  Feather stonehaugh,  perhaps  our  longest  surname. 


ISLANDS  117 

Ing,  a  low-lying  meadow,  Mid.  Eng.  cng,  survives 
in  Greening  (also  a  patronymic,  p.  71),  and  probably 
in  England  (p.  98).  But  Inge  and  Ings,  the  latter 
the  name  of  one  of  the  Cato  Street  conspirators,  also 
represent  an  Anglo-Saxon  personal  name.  Cf.  Ingall 
and  Ingle,  from  Ingold,  or  Ingwulf ;  cf .  Ingoldsby. 

Ey,^  an  island,  survives  as  the  last  element  of  many 
names,  and  is  not  always  to  be  distinguished  from  hey 
[hay,  p.  124)  and  ley.  Bill  Nye's  ancestor  lived  alien  ey 
(p.  34).  Dowdney  or  Dudeney,  from  the  Anglo-Saxon 
name  Duda,  has  probably  swallowed  up  the  very  com- 
mon French  name  Dieudonne,  corresponding  to  Lat. 
Deodatus.  In  the  north  a  river  island  was  commonly 
called  Holm  (Scand.),  also  pronounced  Home,  Hulme, 
and  Hume,  in  compounds  easily  confused  with  -ham, 
e.g.  Durham  was  once  Dun-holmr,  hill  island. 
Hence  sometimes  Holman,  Hohner,  and  Homer.  The 
very  common  Holmes  is  probably  in  most  cases 
a  tree-name  (p.  118).  In  Chisholm  the  first  element 
means  pebble  ;  cf.  Chesil  Beach.  The  names  Bent, 
whence  Broadbent,  and  Crook  probably  also  belong 
sometimes  to  the  river,  but  may  have  arisen  from  a 
turn  in  a  road  or  valley.  But  Beiit  was  also  applied 
to  a  hill  covered  with  bents,  or  rushes,  and  Crook 
is  generally  a  nickname  (p.  211).  Lastly,  the  crossing 
of  the  unbridged  stream  has  given  us  Ford  or  Forth, 
whence  Stratford  or  Strafford  (street),  Stanford  or 
Stamford  (stone),  etc.  The  alternative  name  was 
Wade,  from  which  we  have  the  compound  Grimwade. 
The  cognate  wath  (Scand.)  has  been  swallowed  up  by 
with  (Scand.),  a  wood,  whence  the  name  Wythe. 
Askwith,  or  Asqnith,  may  thus  be  equivalent  to  Ash  ford 
or  Ashwood.     Beckwith  probably  means  Beck  ford. 

1   Isle  of  Sheppey,  Rlersea  Island,  etc.,  are  pleonasms. 


ii8  SPOT   NAMES 

Tree  Names 

In  conclusion  a  few  words  must  be  said  about  tree 
names,  so  common  in  their  simple  form  and  in  topo- 
graphical compounds.  Here,  as  in  the  case  of  most 
of  the  etymons  already  mentioned  in  this  chapter, 
the  origin  of  the  surname  may  be  specific  as  well  as 
general,  i.e.  the  name  Ash  may  come  from  Ash  in 
Kent  rather  than  from  any  particular  tree,  the  etymo- 
logy remaining  the  same.  Many  of  our  surnames  have 
preserved  the  older  forms  of  tree  names,  e.g.  the  lime 
was  once  the  line,  hence  Lines,  Lynes,  and  earlier  still 
the  Lind,  as  in  the  compounds  Lyndhurst,  Lindley,  etc. 
The  older  form  of  Oak  appears  in  Acland,  Acton,  and 
variants  in  Ogden  and  Braddock,  broad  oak.  We 
have  ash  in  Aston,  Ascham.  The  holly  was  once  the 
hollin,  whence  Hollins,  Mollis,  Hollings  ;  cf.  Hollings- 
head,  Holinshed.  But  hollin  became  colloquially  holm, 
whence  generally  HoUnes.  Homewood  is  for  holm- 
wood.  The  holm  oak,  ilex,  is  so  called  from  its 
holly-like  leaves.  For  Birch  we  also  find  Birk,  com- 
mon in  compounds.  Beech  often  appears  as  Buck; 
cf.  htick'wh.&dX,  so  called  because  the  grains  are  of 
the  shape  of  beech-mast.  In  Poppleton,  Popplewell 
we  have  the  dialect  popple,  a  poplar.  Yeo  ^  sometimes 
represents  yew,  spelt  yowe  by  Palsgrave. 

In  Sallows  we  have  a  provincial  name  for  the  willow, 
cognate  with  Fr.  saule  and  Lat.  salix.  Rowntree  is  the 
rowan,  or  mountain  ash,  and  Bawtry  or  Bawtree  is  a 
northern  name  for  the  elder.  The  older  forms  of  Alder 
and  Elder,  in  both  of  which  the  -d-  is  intrusive  (p.  34), 

1  The  yeo  of  yeoman,  which  is  conjectured  to  have  meant  district, 
cognate  with  Ger.  Gau  in  Breisgau,  Rheingau,  etc.,  is  not  found  by 
itself. 


TREES  119 

appear  in  Allerton  and  Ellershciw.  The  Hazel  is  found 
also  as  the  Halse,  whence  Halsey,  the  suffix  being  either 
-ey  (p.  116)  or  -hey,  -hay  (p.  124).  Maple  is  sometimes 
Mapple  and  sycamore  is  corrupted  into  Sicklemore. 

Tree-names  are  common  in  all  languages.  Beerhohm 
Tree  is  pleonastic,  from  Ger.  Bierhaum,  for  Birnhaum, 
pear-tree.  A  few  years  ago  a  prominent  Belgian 
statesman  bore  the  name  Vandepoerenhoom,  rather 
terrifying  till  decomposed  into  "van  den  poerenboom." 
Its  Mid.  English  equivalent  appears  in  Pirie,  origin- 
ally a  collection  of  pear-trees,  but  used  by  Chaucer 
for  the  single  tree — 

"  And  thus  I  lete  hyva.  sitte  upon  the  pyrie." 

(E.  2217.) 

From  trees  we  may  descend  gradually,  via  Thome, 
Bush,  Furze,  Gorst  (p.  10),  Ling,  etc.,  until  we  come 
linally  to  Grace,  which  in  some  cases  represents  grass, 
for  we  find  William  atte  grase  in  1327,  while  the  name 
Poorgrass,  in  Mr.  Hardy's  Far  from  the  Madding  Crowd, 
seems  to  be  certified  by  the  famous  French  names 
Malherbe  and  Malesherbes.  But  Savory  is  the  French 
personal  name  Savary. 

The  following  list  of  trees  is  given  by  Chaucer  in  the 
Knight's  tale — 

"  The  names  that  the  trees  highte, — 
As  00k,  firre,  birch,  aspe,  alder,  holm,  popeler, 
Wylugh,  elm,  plane,  assh,  box,  chasteyn,  lynde,  laurer, 
Mapul,  thorn,  bech,  hasel,  e\v,  whippeltre." 

(A.  2920.) 

They  are  all  represented  in  modern  directories. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

THE    HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

"  One  fels  downe  firs,  another  of  the  same 
With  crossed  poles  a  little  lodge  doth  frame  : 
Another  mounds  it  with  dry  wall  about, 
And  leaves  a  breach  for  passage  in  and  out  : 
With  turfe  and  furze  some  others  yet  more  grose 
Their  homely  sties  in  stead  of  walls  inclose  : 
Some,  like  the  swallow,  mud  and  hay  doe  mixe 
And  that  about  their  silly  cotes  they  fixe  : 

Some  heale  (thatch)  their  roofes  with  fearn,  or  reeds,  or  rushes, 
And  some  with  hides,  with  oase,  with  boughs,  and  bushes." 

(Sylvester,    The   Devine    Weekes.) 

In  almost  every  case  where  man  has  interfered  with 
nature  the  resulting  local  name  is  naturally  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  or,  in  some  parts  of  England,  of  Scandinavian 
origin.  The  Roman  and  French  elements  in  our  topo- 
graphical names  are  scanty  in  number,  though  the 
former  are  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  chief  Latin 
contributions  are  -Chester,  -cester,  -caster,  Lat.  castrmn, 
a  fort,  or  plural  castra,  a  camp ;  -street,  Lat.  via  strata, 
a  levelled  way ;  -minster,  LsLt.  monasterinni;  and -church 
or  -kirk,  Greco-Lat.  kuriakon,  belonging  to  the  Lord. 
Eccles,  Greco-Lat.  ecclesia,  probably  goes  back  to  Celtic 
Christianity.  Street  was  the  high-road,  hence  Greenstreet. 
Minster  is  curiously  corrupted  in  Bnckmaster  for  Buck- 
minster  and  Kittermaster  for  Kidderminster,  while  in  its 
simple  form  it  appears  as  Minister  (p.  35).  We  have  a 
few  French  place-names,  e.g.  Beamish  (p.  139),  Beau- 


SETTLEMENTS  121 

mont,  Richmond,  Richemont,  and  Malpas  (Cheshire), 
the  evil  pass,  with  which  we  may  compare  Maltravers. 
\Xe  have  the  apparent  opposite  in  Bompas,  Bumpus, 
Fr.  hon  pas,  but  this  was  a  nickname.  Of  late  there 
has  been  a  tendency  to  introduce  the  French  ville, 
e.g.  Bournville,  near  Birmingham.  That  part  of  Mar- 
gate which  ought  to  be  called  Northdown  is  known  as 
Cliftonville,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  opposite  end 
of  the  town,  dissatisfied  with  such  good  names  as 
Westbrook  and  Rancorn,  hanker  after  Westonville. 
But  these  philological  atrocities  are  fortunately  too 
late  to  be  perpetuated  as  surnames. 

I  have  divided  the  names  in  this  chapter  into  those 
that  are  connected  with  (i)  Settlements  and  Enclosures, 
(2)  Highways  and  Byways,  (3)  Watercourses,  (4) 
Buildings,  (5)  Shop  Signs.  And  here,  as  before,  names 
which  neither  in  their  simple  nor  compound  form 
present  any  difficulty  are  omitted. 

Settlements  and  Enclosures 

The  words  which  occur  most  commonly  in  the 
names  of  the  modern  towns  which  have  sprung 
from  early  settlements  are  borough  or  hury,^  hy, 
ham,  stoke,  stow,  thorp,  tun  or  ton,  wick,  and  worth. 
These  names  are  all  of  native  origin,  except  by, 
which  indicates  a  Danish  settlement,  and  wick,  which 
is  supposed  to  be  a  very  earlj^  loan  from  Lat. 
vicus,  cognate  with  Greek  o'lko'^,  house.  Nearly  all 
of  them  are  common,  in  their  simple  form,  both  as 
specific  place-names  and  as  surnames.  Borough,  cog- 
nate with  Ger.  Burg,  castle,  and  related  to  Barrow 
(p.  107),  has  many  variants,  Bury,  Brough,  Borrow, 
Berry,  whence  Berryman,  and  Burgh,  the  last  of  which 

^  Originally  the  dative  of  borough. 


122  THE    HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

has  become  Burke  in  Ireland,  In  Atterbury  the  pre- 
position and  article  have  both  remained,  while  in 
Thornber  the  suffix  is  almost  unrecognizable.  By, 
related  to  byre  and  to  the  preposition  by,  is  especially 
common  in  Yorkshire  and  Lincolnshire.  It  is  some- 
times spelt  bee,  e.g.  Ashbee  for  Ashby.  The  simple 
Bye  is  not  uncommon.  Ham  is  cognate  with  home. 
In  compounds  it  is  sometimes  reduced  to  -tim,  e.g. 
Barnum,  Holtum,  War  num.  Allum  represents  the 
usual  Midland  pronunciation  of  Hallam.  Culliim, 
generally  for  Culham,  may  also  represent  the  mis- 
sionary Saint  Colomb.  In  Newnham  the  adjective  is 
dative,  as  in  Ger.  Neuenheim,  at  the  new  home.  In 
Bonham,  Frankham,  and  Pridham  the  suffix  -ham  has 
been  substituted  for  the  French  homme,  bonhomme, 
franc  homme,  priidhomme,  while  J erningham  is  a  per- 
version of  the  personal  name  Jernegan  or  Gernegan, 
as  Garnham  is  of  Gernon,  Old  French  for  Beard  (see 
p.  199).  Stead  is  cognate  with  Ger.  Stadt,  place,  town, 
and  with  staith,  as  in  Bickersteth  (p.  40).  Armstead 
means  the  dwelling  of  the  hermit,  Bensted  the  stead 
of  Benna  (p.  75)  or  Bennet. 

Stoke  is  originally  distinct  from  Stock,  a  stump, 
with  which  it  has  become  fused  in  the  compounds 
Bostock,  Brigstocke.  Stow  appears  in  the  compound 
Bristol  (p.  99)  and  in  Plaistow,  play-ground  (cf.  Play- 
sted).  Thorp,  cognate  with  Ger.  Dorf,  village,  is 
especially  common  in  the  eastern  counties — 

"  By  thirty  hills  I  hurry  down 
Or  slip  between  the  ridges, 
By  twenty  thorps,  a  little  town, 
And  half  a  hundred  bridges." 

(Tennyson,  The  Brook,  1.   5.) 

It  has  also  given  Thrupp  and  probably  Thripp,  whence 
Calihrop,  Winthrop,  Westrupp,  etc.     Ton,  later  Town, 


SETTLEMENTS  123 

gave  also  the  northern  Toon,  still  used  in  Scotland  with 
something  of  its  original  sense  (see  p.  102).  Boston 
is  Botolf's  town,  Gunston  Gunn's  town.  So  also  Tarle- 
ton  (Thurweald),  Monkton  (monk),  Preston  (priest). 
Barton  meant  originally  a  barley-field,  and  is  still  used 
in  the  west  of  England  for  a  paddock.  Wick  appears 
also  as  Wych,  Weech.  Its  compounds  cannot  be 
separated  from  those  of  lo'ick,  a  creek  (p.  116).  Bromage 
is  for  Bromwich,  Greenidge  for  Greenwich,  Prestage  for 
Prestwich.  Killick  probably  represents  Kilnwick  and 
Physick  is  imitative  for  Fishwick. 

Worth  was  perhaps  originally  applied  to  land  by  a 
river  or  to  a  holm  (p.  117)  ;  cf.  Ger.  Donaiiwert, 
Nonnenwert,  etc.  Harmsworth  is  for  Harmondsworth  ; 
cf.  Ehhsworth  (Ebba),  Shuttleworth  (Sceotweald),  Wads- 
worth  (Wada).  Sometimes  we  find  a  lengthened  form, 
e.g.  Allworthy,  from  a/^,  old  (cf.  Aldworth),  Langworthy. 
Brownsword  is  folk-etymology  for  Brownsworth,  and 
Record  for  Rickworth.  Littleworth  may  belong  to  this 
class,  but  it  may  also  be  a  disparaging  nickname. 
This  would  make  it  equivalent  to  the  imitative 
Littleproud ,  formerly  Littleprow,  from  Old  Fr.  and 
Mid.  Eng.  prou,  worth,  value.  To  this  group  of 
words  may  be  added  two  more,  which  signify  a  mart, 
viz.  Cheap  or  Chipp  (cf.  Chepstow,  Chipping  Barnet, 
etc.)  and  Staple,  whence  Huxtablc,  Stapleton,  etc. 
Liberty,  that  part  of  a  city  which,  though  outside 
the  walls,  shares  in  the  city  privileges,  and  Parish 
also  occur  as  surnames,  but  the  latter  is  usually  for 
Paris. 

Many  other  words  connected  with  the  delimitation 
of  property  occur  commonly  in  surnames.  Croft  or 
Craft,  a  small  field,  is  common  in  compounds  such  as 
Begcroft  or  Bear  croft  (barley).  Hay  craft  (see  hay,  p.  124), 


124  THE    HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

Oscroft  (ox),  Meadowcroft,^  Ry croft.  Fold  occurs  usually 
as  Foitlds,  but  we  have  compounds  such  as  Nettlefold, 
Penfold  or  Pinfold  (p.  135).  Sty,  not  originally  limited 
to  pigs,  has  given  Hardisty,  the  sty  of  Heardwulf. 
Frith,  a  park  or  game  preserve,  is  probably  more 
often  the  origin  of  a  surname  than  the  other  frith 
(p.  116).  It  is  cognate  with  Ger.  Friedhoi,  cemetery. 
Chase  is  still  used  of  a  park  and  Game  once  meant 
rabbit-warren.  Warren  is  Fr.  garenne.  Garth,  the 
Scandinavian  doublet  of  Yard,  and  cognate  with 
Garden,  has  given  the  compounds  Garside,  Garfield, 
Hogarth  (from  a  place  in  Westmorland),  and  Apple- 
garth,  of  which  Applegatc  is  a  corruption.  We  have 
a  compound  of  yard  in  Wynyard,  Anglo-Sax.  win, 
vine.  We  have  also  the  name  Close  and  its  deriva- 
tive Clowser.  Gate,  a  barrier  or  opening,  Anglo-Sax. 
geat,  is  distinct  from  the  Scandinavian  gate,  a  street 
(p.  128),  though  of  course  confused  with  it  in  surnames. 
From  the  northern  form  we  have  Yates,  Yeats,  and 
Yeatman,  and  the  compounds  Byatt,  by  gate,  Hyatt, 
high  gate.  Agate  is  for  atte  gate,  and  Lidgate,  whence 
Lidgett,  means  a  swing  gate,  shutting  like  a  lid.  Flad- 
gate  is  for  flood-gate.  Here  also  belongs  Barr.  Hatch, 
the  gate  at  the  entrance  to  a  chase,  survives  in  Colney 
tiatch.  The  apparent  dim.  Hatchett  is  for  Hatchard 
(p.  81)  ;  cf.  Everett  for  Everard  (p.  17).  Hay,  also 
Haig,  Haigh,  Haw,  Hey,  is  cognate  with  Hedge.  Like 
most  monosyhabic  local  surnames,  it  is  commonly 
found  in  the  plural,  Hayes,  Hawes.  The  bird  nick- 
name Hedgecock  exists  also  as  Haycock.     The  curious- 

1  I  remember  reading  in  some  story  of  a  socially  ambitious  lady 
who  adopted  this  commonplace  name  instead  of  Gxtbhins.  The 
latter  name  came  over,  as  Gobin,  with  the  Conqueror,  and  goes 
back  to  Old  Ger.  Godberaht,  whence  Old  Fr.  Godibert.  . 


SETTLEMENTS    AND    ENCLOSURES  125 

looking  patronymics  Orchardson  and  Townson  are  of 
course  corrupt.  The  latter  is  for  Tomlinson  and  the 
former  perhaps  from  A  chard  (p.  81). 

Several  places  and  families  in  England  are  named 
Hide  or  Hyde,  which  meant  a  certain  measure  of  land. 
The  popular  connection  between  this  word  and  hide,  a 
skin,  as  in  the  story  of  the  first  Jutish  settlement,  is 
a  fable.  It  is  connected  with  an  Anglo-Saxon  word 
meaning  household,  which  appears  also  in  Huish,  Anglo - 
Sax.  hi-wisc.  Dike,  or  Dyke,  and  Moat,  also  Mott,  both 
have,  or  had,  a  double  meaning.  We  still  use  dike, 
which  belongs  to  dig  and  ditch,  both  of  a  trench  and  a 
mound,  and  the  latter  was  the  earlier  meaning  of  Fr. 
motte,  now  a  clod.  In  Anglo-French  we  find  moat  used 
of  a  mound  fortress  in  a  marsh.  Now  it  is  applied  to 
the  surrounding  water.  From  dike  come  the  names 
Dicker,  Dickman,  Grimsdick,  etc.  Sometimes  the  name 
Dykes  may  imply  residence  near  some  historic  earth- 
work, such  as  Offa's  Dyke,  just  as  Wall,  sometimes 
pronounced  Waugh  in  the  north,  may  show  connection 
with  the  Roman  wall.  With  these  may  be  mentioned 
the  French  name  Fosse,  whence  the  apparently  pleo- 
nastic Fosdyke  and  the  name  of  Verdant  Green's 
friend,  Mr.  Four-in-hand  Fosbrooke.  Delves  is  from 
Mid.  Eng.  delf,  ditch.  Jury  is  for  Jewry,  the  quarter 
allotted  to  the  Jews,  but  Jewshury  is  no  doubt  for 
Dewsbury  ;  cf.  Jewhurst  for  Dewhurst. 

Here  may  be  mentioned  a  few  local  surnames 
which  are  hard  to  classify.  W^e  have  the  apparently 
anatomical  Back,  Foot,  Head,  and,  in  compounds,  -side. 
Back  seems  to  have  been  used  of  the  region  behind  a 
building  or  dwelling,  as  it  still  is  at  Cambridge.  Its 
plural  has  given  Bax.  But  it  was  also  a  personal  name 
(p.  222),  sometimes  spelt  Batch.     We  should  expect 


126  THE    HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

Foot  to  mean  the  base  of  a  hill,  but  it  always  occurs 
in  earh^  rolls  as  a  personal  name.     It  has  also  given 
Font  and  the  dim.  Footett.     It  appears  to  be  cognate 
with   Ger.   Kljons.      Lightfoot,    Barfoot  are    of   course 
nicknames.     The   simple   Head,   found  as  Mid.   Eng. 
del  heved,  is  perhaps  generally  from  a  shop  or  tavern 
sign.     Fr.  Tete,  one  of  the  origins  of  Tail,  Tate,  and 
Ger.  Haupt  and  Kopf  also  occur  as  surnames.     As  a 
local   suffix  -head   appears  to   mean   top-end  and   is 
generally  shortened  to  -ett,   e.g.  Birkctt  ^  (cf.  Birken- 
head), Brockett  (brook),  Bromet  and  Bromhead  (broom), 
Hazlitt  (hazel).      Fawcett   is   probably  an   accidental 
spelling  of  Fossett,  from  fosse,  or  of  Forcetf  from  force, 
a  waterfall  (Scand.).     Broadhead  may  be  a  nickname, 
like  Fr.  Grossetete  and  Ger.  Breitkopf.     The  face-value 
of  Evershed  is  boar's  head.     Morshead   may  be  the 
nickname   of   mine   host    of   the   Saracen's   Head   or 
may  mean  the  end  of  the  moor.     So  the  names  Aked 
(oak),  Blackett,  Woodhead  may  be  explained  anatomi- 
cally or  geographically  according  to  the  choice  of  the 
bearer.     Perrett,  usually  a  dim.  of  Peter,  may  some- 
times  represent    the   rather    effective    old    nickname 
"  pear-head."      Side   is   local   in    the   uncomfortable 
sounding  Akenside  (oak),  Fearenside  (fern),  but  Heavi- 
side  appears  to  be  a  nickname.     Handyside  may  mean 
"  gracious  manner,"  from  Mid.  Eng.  side,  cognate  with 
Ger.  Sitte,  custom.     See  Hendy  (p.  211).     The  simple 
end  survives  as  Ind  or  Nind  (p.  34)  and  in  Overend 
(p.  116),  Townsend.     Edge,  earlier  Egg  (p.  31),  has  given 
Tiiheredge,  but  the   frequency  of  place-names  begin- 
ning with  Edge,  e.g.  Edgeley,  Edgington,  Edgworth, 
etc.,    suggests    that    it    was    also    a    personal   name. 

1  No   doubt  sometimes,  like  Biirchett,  Buckeit,  for  the  personal 
name  Burchard,  Anglo-Sax.  Burgheard. 


HIGHWAYS    AND    BYWAYS  127 

Lynch,  a  boundary,  is  cognate  with  goU-liiiks.  The 
following  sounds  modern,  but  refers  to  people  sitting 
in  a  hollow  among  the  sand-ridges — 

"  And  are  ye  in  the  wont  of  drawing  up  wi'  a'  the  gangrel  bodies 
that  ye  find  cowering  in  a  sund-bunkey  upon  the  links  ?  " 

[Redgaimtlet,  ch.  xi.) 

Pitt  is  found  in  the  compound  Bulpitt,  no  doubt  the 
place  where  the  town  bull  was  kept.  It  is  also  the 
origin  of  the  Kentish  names  Pett  and  Pettman.  Arch 
refers  generally  to  a  bridge.  Lastly,  there  are  three 
words  for  a  corner,  viz.  Hearne,  Heme,  Hume,  Wyke, 
the  same  word  as  Wick,  a  creek  (p.  116),  and  Wray 
(Scand.).  The  franklin  tell  us  that  "  yonge  clerkes  " 
desirous  of  knowledge — 


^t)^ 


"  Seken  in  every  halke  and  every  heme 
Particular  sciences  for  to  leme  "   (F,   11 19). 

Wray  has  become  confused  with  Ray  (p.  2q).  Its 
compound  thack-wray,  the  corner  where  the  thatch  was 
stored,  has  given  Thackeray. 


Highways  and  Byways 

We  have  already  noticed  the  curious  fact  that,  as 
surnames,  we  always  find  the  singular  Street  and  the 
plural  Roades.  The  meaning  of  Street  has  changed 
considerably  since  the  da^^s  when  Icknield  Street  and 
Watling  Street  were  great  national  roads.  It  is  now 
used  exclusively  of  town  thoroughfares,  and  has 
become  such  a  mere  sufftx  that,  while  we  speak  of  the 
Oxford  Road,  we  try  to  suppress  the  second  word  in 
Oxford  Street,  To  street  belong  our  place-names  and 
surnames  in  Strat-,  Stret-,  etc.,  e.g.  Stratton,  Stretton, 


128  THE    HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

Stredwick.     The  usual  spelling  Rhodes,   for   roads,   is 
also  curious.     In  some  cases  the  name  is  borne  by 
descendants    of    Jewish    immigrants   who    took   their 
name  from   the  island  of  Rhodes,  while  in  others  it 
is  identical  with  Royds  (p.  in),  the  earlier  spelling  of 
which  was  also  rodes.     Way  has  a  number  of  com- 
pounds with  intrusive  -a-,  e.g.   Chattaway,   Dallaway 
(dale),  Greenaway ,  Hathaway  (heath),  Westaway.     But 
Hanway  is  the  name  of  a  country   (see  p.   loo),   and 
Otway,  Ottoway,  is  Old  Fr.   Otouet,    a  dim.    of  Odo. 
Shipway  is  for  sheep-way.     In  the  north  of  England 
the  streets  in  a  town  are  often  called  gates  (Scand.), 
It  is  impossible  to  distinguish  the  compounds  of  this 
gate  from  those  of  the  native  gate,  a  barrier  (p.  124), 
e.g.  Norgate  may  mean  North  Street  or  North  Gate. 
Alley  and  Court  both  exist  as  surnames,  but  the  latter 
is  from  court  in  the  sense  of  mansion,  country  house. 
The  curious  spelUng  Caught  may  be  seen  over  a  shop 
in  Chiswick.       Rowe  has  various  origins  (p.   8),    but 
often  means  a  row  of  houses,  and  we  find  the  com- 
pound Townroe.     Cosway,  Cossey,  is  from  causeway, 
Fr.  chaussee ;  and  Twitchen,  Twitchell  represent  dialect 
words  used  of  a  narrow  passage  and  connected  with 
the  Mid.  English  verb  twiselen,  to   fork,   or  divide  ; 
Twiss  must  be  of  similar  origin,  for  we  find  Robert 
del  twysse  in  1367.    Cf.  Birtwistle  and  Entwistle.    With 
the  above  may  be  classed  the  west-country  Shute,  a 
narrow  street  ;   Vennell,  also  found  as  Fennell,  a  north- 
country  word  for  alley,  Fr.  venelle,  dim.  of  Lat.  vena, 
vein  ;    Wynd,    a    court,    also  a   north-country    word, 
probably  from  the  verb  wijid,  to  twist,  and  the  cognate 
Went,  a  passage — 

"  Thorugh  a  goter,  by  a  prive  wente." 

{Jroilus  and  Criseyde,  iii.  788.) 


BUILDINGS  129 

Water 
Names  derived  from  artificial  watercourses  are 
Channell,  now  replaced  as  a  common  noun  by  the 
learned  form  canal,  Condy  or  Cundy,  a  well-known 
name  in  Yorkshire,  for  the  earlier  Cunditt,  conduit, 
Gott,  cognate  with  gut,  used  in  Yorkshire  for  the 
channel  from  a  mill-dam  and  in  Lincolnshire  for  a 
water-drain  on  the  coast,  Lade,  Leete,  connected  with 
the  verb  to  lead,  and  sometimes  Shore  (p.  116),  which 
was  my  grandfather's  pronunciation  of  sewer.  Gott 
may  also  be  a  personal  name,  corresponding  to  Fr. 
Got,  which  is  sometimes  aphetic  for  Margot.  From 
weir,  lit.  a  protection,  precaution,  cognate  with  beware 
and  Ger.  wehren,  to  protect,  we  have  not  only  Weir, 
but  also  Ware,  Warr,  Wear,  and  the  more  pretentious 
Delawarr.  The  latter  name  passed  from  an  Earl 
Delawarr  to  a  region  in  North  America,  and  thus 
to  Fenimore  Cooper's  noble  red  men.  Lock  is  more 
often  a  land  name,  to  be  classed  with  Hatch  (p.  124), 
but  was  also  used  of  a  water-gate.  Key  was  once  the 
usual  spelling  of  quay.  We  have  the  two  names  com- 
bined in  the  curious  name  Keylock.  Port  seldom  belongs 
here,  as  the  Mid.  English  is  almost  always  de  la  porte, 
i.e.  Gates.  From  well  we  have  a  very  large  number  of 
compounds,  e.g.  Cauldwell  (cold),  Halliwell,  the  variants 
of  which,  Holliwell,  Hollowell,  probably  all  represent 
Mid.  Eng.  hali,  holy.  Here  belongs  also  Winch,  from 
the  device  used  for  drawing  water  from  deep  wells. 

Buildings 

The  greater  number  of  the  words  to  be  dealt  with 
under    this    heading   enter   into   the   composition   of 
specific  place-names.     A  considerable  number  of  sur- 
10 


130  THE    HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

names  are  derived  from  the  names  of  religious  build- 
ings, usually  from  proximity  rather  than  actual 
habitation.  Such  names  are  naturally  of  Greco-Latin 
origin,  and  were  either  introduced  directly  into  Anglo- 
Saxon  by  the  missionaries,  or  were  adopted  later  in  a 
French  form  after  the  Conquest.  It  has  already  been 
noted  (p.  5)  that  Abbey  is  not  generally  what  it  seems, 
but  in  some  cases  it  is  local,  from  Fr.  abbaye,  of  which 
the  Provencal  form  Abadie  was  introduced  by  the 
Huguenots.  We  find  much  earlier  A  bdy,  taken  straight 
from  the  Greco-Lat.  abbatia.  The  famous  name 
Chantrey  is  for  chantry,  Armitage  was  once  the 
regular  pronunciation  of  Hermitage,  and  Chappell 
a    common  spelling   of   Chapel — 

"Also  if  you  finde  not  the  word  you  seeke  for  presently  after 
one  sort  of  spelling,  condemne  me  not  forthwith,  but  consider  how 
it  is  used  to  be  spelled,  whether  with  double  or  single  letters,  as 
Chappell,  or  Chapell  "  (Holyoak,  Latin  Diet.,  1612). 

We  have  also  the  Norman  form  Cap  el,  but  this  may 
be  a  nickname  from  Mid.  Eng.  capel,  nag — 

"  Why  nadstow  (hast  thou  not)  pit  the  caput  in  the  lathe  (barn)  ?  " 

(A,  4088.) 

A  Galilee  was  a  chapel  or  porch  devoted  to  special 
purposes — 

"  Those  they  pursued  had  taken  refuge  in  the  galilee  of  the 
church  "   {Fair  Maid  of  Perth,  ch.  ix.). 

The  tomb  of  the  Venerable  Bede  is  in  the  Galilee  of 
Durham  Cathedral.  I  had  a  schoolfellow  with  this 
uncommon  name,  now  generally  perverted  to  Galley. 
In  a  play  now  running  (Feb.  1913)  in  London,  there 
is  a  character  named  Sanctuary,  a  name  found  also  in 
Crockford  and  the  London  Directory.      I   have  only 


BUILDINGS  131 

once  come  across  the  contracted  form  Sentry  ^  [Daily 
Telegraph,  Dec.  26, 1912),  and  then  under  circumstances 
which  might  make  quotation  actionable.  Purvis  is 
j\Iid.  Eng.  pcirvis,  a  porch,  Greco-Lat.  paradisus.  It 
may  be  the  same  as  Provis,  the  name  selected  by  Mr. 
Magwitch  on  his  return  from  the  Antipodes  [Great 
Expectations,  ch.  xl.),  but  this  may  be  for  Provost. 
Porch  and  Portch  both  occur  as  surnames,  but  Porcher 
is  Fr.  porcher,  a  swineherd,  and  Portal  is  a  Huguenot 
name.  Churcher  and  Kirker,  Churchman  and  Kirk- 
man,  are  usually  local  ;   cf.  Bridger  and  Bridgman. 

The  names  Temple  and  Tcmpleman  were  acquired 
from  residence  near  one  of  the  preceptories  of  the 
Knights  Templars,  and  Spittlehouse  (p.  34)  is  some- 
times to  be  accounted  for  in  a  similar  way  (Knights 
of  the  Hospital).  We  even  find  the  surname  Taber- 
nacle. Musters  is  Old  Fr.  moustiers  [moutiers),  common 
in  French  place-names,  from  Lat.  monasterium.  The 
word  how,  still  used  for  an  arch  in  some  old  towns, 
has  given  the  names  Bow  and  Bowes.  A  medieval 
statute,  recently  revived  to  baffle  the  suffragettes,  was 
originally  directed  against  robbers  and  "pillers,"  i.e. 
plunderers,  but  the  name  Piller  is  for  pillar  ;  cf .  the 
French  name  Colonne.  With  these  may  be  mentioned 
Buttress  and  Carnell,  the  latter  from  Old  Fr.  camel 
(creneau),  a  battlement. 

As  general  terms  for  larger  dwellings  we  find  Hall, 
House,  also  WTitten  Hose,  and  Seal,  the  last-named 
from  the  Germanic  original  which  has  given  Fr. 
Lasalle,  whence  our  surname  Sale.  To  the  same  class 
belong     Place,    Plaice,    as    in    Cumnor    Place.       The 

^  On  the  development  in  meaning  of  this  word,  first  occurring 
in  the  phrase  "  to  take  sentrie,"  i.e.  refuge,  see  my  Romance  of 
Words,  ch.  vii. 


132  THE    HAUNTS    OF    UAN 

possession  of  such  surnames  does  not  imply  ancestral 
possession  of  Haddon  Hall,  Stall ord  House,  etc.,  but 
merely  that  the  founder  of  the  family  lived  under 
the  shadow  of  greatness.  In  compounds  -house  is 
generally  treated  as  in  "  workus,"  e.g.  Bacchus 
(p.  83),  Bellows,  Brewis,  Duffus  (dove),  Kirkus,  Loftus, 
Malthus,  Windus  (wynd,  p.  128).  In  connection 
with  Woodhouse  it  must  be  remembered  that  this 
name  was  given  to  the  man  who  played  the  part 
of  a  "  wild  man  of  the  woods  "  in  processions  and 
festivities.  William  Power,  skinner,  called  "Wode- 
hous,"  died  in  London  in  1391.  Of  similar  origin  is 
Greenman.  The  tavern  sign  of  the  Green  Man  is  some- 
times explained  as  representing  a  forester  in  green, 
but  it  was  probably  at  first  equivalent  to  the  German 
sign  "  Zum  wilden  Mann."  Cassell  is  sometimes  for 
Castle,  but  is  more  often  a  local  German  name  of  recent 
introduction.  The  northern  Peel,  a  castle,  as  in  the 
Isle  of  Man,  was  originally  applied  to  a  stockade.  Old 
Fr.  pel  ipieu),  a  stake,  Lat.  falus.  From  it  we  have 
Pillman.  Keep  comes  from  the  central  tower  of  the 
castle,  where  the  baron  and  his  family  kept,  i.e.  lived. 
A  moated  Grange  is  a  poetic  figment,  for  the  word 
comes  from  Fr.  grange,  a  barn  (to  Lat.  granum), 
hence  Granger. 

With  Mill  and  the  older  Milne  (p.  25)  we  may 
compare  Mullins,  Fr.  Desmoulins.  Barnes  is  some- 
times, but  not  always,  what  it  seems  (see  p.  194) .  With 
it  we  may  put  Leathes,  from  an  obsolete  Scandina- 
vian word  for  barn  (see  quot.  p.  130),  to  which  we  owe 
also  the  names  Lcatham  and  Latham.  Mr.  Oldbuck's 
"  ecstatic  description  "  of  the  Roman  camp  with  its 
prc-etorium  was  spoilt  by  Edie  Ochiltree's  disastrous 
interruption — 


DWELLINGS  133 

"  Praetorian  here,  praetorian  there,  I  mind  the  bigging  o't." 

{Antiquary,  ch.  iv.). 

The  obsolete  verb  to  hig,  i.e.  build,  whence  Biggar, 
a  builder,  has  given  us  Biggins,  Biggs  (p.  38),  and 
Newbigging,  while  from  to  build  we  have  Newbould 
and  Newbolt.  Cazenove,  Ital.  casa  nuova,  means  ex- 
actly the  same.  Probably  related  to  build  is  the 
obsolete  Bottle,  a  building,  whence  Harbottle.  A  humble 
dwelling  was  called  a  Board — 

"  Borde,  a  little  house,  lodging,  or  cottage  of  timber  " 

(Cotgrave) — 

whence  Boardman,  Border.  Other  names  were  Booth, 
Lodge,  and  Folley,  Fr.  feuillee,  a  hut  made  of  branches — 

"  Feuillee,    an    arbor,    or   bower,    framed    of    leav'd    plants,    or 
branches"   (Cotgrave). 

Scale,  possibly  connected  with  shealing,  is  a  Scandi- 
navian word  used  in  the  north  for  a  shepherd's  hut, 
hence  the  surname  Scales.  In  Bower  and  Bere,  Beer, 
we  have  names  related  to  byre,  a  hut,  cow-house, 
whence  Byers.     Chaucer  says  of  the  poor  widow — 

"  Ful  sooty  was  hir  hour  and  eek  hire  halle." 

(B,  4022.) 

Hence  the  names  Bowerman,  Boorman,  Burman. 

But  the  commonest  of  names  for  a  humble  dwelling 
was  cot  or  cote — 

"  Born  and  fed  in  rudenesse 
As  in  a  cote  or  in  an  oxe  stalle  " 

(E,  397)— 

the  inhabitant  of  which  was  a  Cotman,  Cotter,  or, 
diminutively,  Cottrell,  Cotterill.  Hence  the  frequent 
occurrence  of  the  name  Coates.  There  are  also  numer- 
ous compounds,   e.g.   Alcott  (old),  Norcott,  Kingscote, 


134  THE   HAUNTS    OF    MAN 

and  the  many  variants  of  Caldecott,  Calcott,  the 
cold  dwelHng,  especiall}'  common  as  a  village  name 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Roman  roads.  It  is  supposed 
to  have  been  applied,  like  Coldharbour,  to  deserted 
posts.  The  name  Cotton  is  sometimes  from  the  dative 
plural  of  the  same  word,  though,  when  of  French 
origin,  it  represents  Coton,  dim.  of  Cot,  aphetic  for 
Jacot. 

Names  such  as  Kitchin,  Spence,  a  north-country 
word  for  pantry  (see  p.  i86),  and  Mews,  originally 
apphed  to  the  hawk-coops  (see  Mewer,  p.  150),  point 
to  domestic  employment.  The  simple  Mew,  common 
in  Hampshire,  is  a  bird  nickname.  Scammell 
preserves  an  older  form  of  sha7nble{s),  originally 
the  benches  on  which  meat  was  exposed  for  sale. 
The  name  Currie,  or  Curry,  is  too  common  to  be 
referred  entirely  to  the  Scot.  Corrie,  a  mountain 
glen,  or  to  Curry  in  Somerset,  and  I  conjecture  that 
it  sometimes  represents  Old  Fr.  and  Mid,  Eng. 
curie,  a  kitchen,  which  is  the  origin  of  Petty  Cury  in 
Cambridge  and  of  the  famous  French  name  Curie. 
Nor  can  Furness  be  derived  exclusively  from  the 
Furness  district  of  Lancashire.  It  must  sometimes 
correspond  to  the  common  French  name  Dufour,  from 
four,  oven.  We  also  have  the  name  Ovens.  Stables, 
when  not  identical  with  Staples  (p.  123),  belongs  to 
the  same  class  as  Mews.  Chambers,  found  in  Scotland 
as  Chalmers,  is  official,  the  medieval  de  la  Chambre 
often  referring  to  the  Exchequer  Chamber  of  the  City 
of  London.  Bellchambers  has  probably  no  connection 
with  this  word.  It  appears  to  be  an  imitative  spelling 
of  Belencombre,  a  place  near  Dieppe;  for  the  entry 
de  Belencuinbre  is  of  frequent  occurrence. 

Places    of    confinement    are   represented    by    Gale, 


SHOP    SIGNS  135 

gaol  (p.  32),  Penn,  whence  Inkpen  (Berkshire),  Pond, 
Pound,  and  Penfold  or  Pinfold.  But  Gales  is  for  Anglo- 
Fr.  Galles,  Wales.  Butts  comes  from  the  archery 
ground,  while  Butt  is  rather  to  be  referred  to  the 
French  name  Bout  (p.  75)  or  to  Budd  (p.  75).  Cor- 
dery,  for  de  la  corderie,  of  the  rope-walk,  has  been 
confused  with  the  much  more  picturesque  Corderoy, 
i.e.  cceitr  de  roi. 


Shop  Signs 

As  is  well  known,  medieval  shops  had  signs  instead 
of  numbers,  and  traces  of  this  custom  are  still  to  be 
seen  in  country  towns.  It  is  quite  obvious  that  town 
surnames  would  readily  spring  into  existence  from  such 
signs.  The  famous  name  Rothschild,  always  mispro- 
nounced in  English,  goes  back  to  the  "red  shield"  over 
Nathan  Rothschild's  shop  in  the  Jewry  of  Frankfurt ; 
and  within  the  writer's  memory  two  brothers  named 
Grainge  in  the  little  town  of  Uxbridge  were  familiarly 
known  as  Bible  Grainge  and  Gridiron  Grainge.  Many 
names  of  animals  are  to  be  referred  partly  to  this 
source,  e.g.  Bull,  Hart,  Lamb,  Lyon,  Ram,  Roebuck, 
Stagg;  Cock,  Falcon,  Peacock,  Raven,  Swann,  etc.,  aU 
still  common  as  tavern  signs.  The  popinjay,  or  parrot, 
is  still  occasionally  found  as  Pobgee,  Popjoy.  These 
surnames  all  have,  of  course,  an  alternative  explana- 
tion (ch.  xxiii.).  Here  also  usually  belong  Angel  and 
Virgin.  But  the  largest  class  of  such  names  probably 
consists  of  those  taken  from  figures  used  in  heraldry 
or  from  objects  which  indicated  the  craft  practised. 
This  would  seem  to  be  the  explanation  of  Croivnin- 
shield.  Other  examples  are  Arrow,  Bell,  Buckle,  Cross- 
keys,  Crowne,  Crozier,  Gauntlett,  Hatt,  Home,  Image, 


136  THE    HAUNTS    OF   MAN 

Key,   Lilley,   Meatyard,  measuring  wand — 

"  Ye  shall  do  no  unrighteousness  in  judgment,  in  meteyard,  in 
weight,  or  in  measure"  (Lev.  xix.  35) — 

Mullett,^  Rose,  Shears,  and  perhaps  Blades,  Shipp, 
Spurr,  Starr,  Sword.  Thomas  Palle,  called  "  Sheres," 
died  in  London,    1376. 

But  here  again  we  must  walk  delicately.  The 
Germanic  name  Hatto,  borne  by  the  wicked  bishop  who 
perished  in  the  Mauseturm,  gave  the  French  name 
Hatt  with  the  accusative  form  Hatton,^  Horn  is  an  old 
personal  name,  as  in  the  medieval  romance  of  King 
Horn,  Shipp  is  a  common  provincialism  for  sheep} 
Starr  has  another  explanation  (p.  219)  and  Bell  has 
several  (p.  8).  I  should  guess  that  Porteous  was  the 
sign  used  by  some  medieval  writer  of  mass-books 
and  breviaries.  Its  oldest  form  is  the  Anglo-Fr. 
porte-hors,  corresponding  to  medieval  Lat.  portiforium, 
a  breviary,  lit.  what  one  carries  outside,  a  portable 
prayer-book — 

"  For  on  my  porthors  here  I  make  an  oath." 

(B,  1321.) 

But  as  the  name  is  found  without  prefix  in  the  Hundred 
Rolls,  it  may  have  been  a  nickname  conferred  on  some 
clericus  who  was  proud  of  so  rare  a  possession. 

1  A  five-pointed  star.  Old  Fr.  molette,  rowel  of  a  spur. 

2  In  Old  French  a  certain  number  of  names,  mostly  of  Germanic 
origin,  had  an  accusative  in  -on,  e.g.  Guy,  Guyon,  Hugues,  Hugon, 
From  Lat.  Pontius  came  Poinz,  Poinson,  whence  our  Poyntz,  less 
pleasingly  Punch,  and  Punshon.  In  the  Pipe  Rolls  these  are  also 
spelt  Pin-,  whence  Pinch,  Pinchin,  and  Pinches. 

3  Hence  the  connection  between  the  ship  and  the  ha'porth  of  tar. 


CHAPTER    XIV 


NORMAN    BLOOD 


"  Such,  however,  is  the  illusion  of  antiquity  and  wealth  that 
decent  and  dignified  men  now  existing  boast  their  descent  from 
these  filthy  thieves"  (Emerson,  English  Traits,  ch.  iv.). 

Not  every  Norman  or  Old  French  name  need  be 
included  in  the  group  described  by  Emerson  when 
talking  down  to  an  uneducated  audience.  In  fact, 
it  is  probable  that  the  majority  of  genuine  French 
names  belong  to  a  later  period,  for,  although  the  baron 
who  accompanied  the  Conqueror  would  in  many  cases 
keep  his  old  territorial  designation,  the  minor  rufhan 
would,  as  a  rule,  drop  the  name  of  the  obscure  hamlet 
from  which  he  came  and  assume  some  surname  more 
convenient  in  his  new  surroundings.  Local  names  of 
Old  French  origin  are  usually  taken  from  the  provinces 
and  larger  towns  which  had  a  meaning  for  English 
ears.  I  have  given  examples  of  such  in  chapter  xi. 
Of  course  it  is  easy  to  take  a  detailed  map  of 
Northern  France  and  say,  without  offering  any  proof, 
that  "Avery  (p.  82)  is  from  Evreux,  Belcher  (p.  196) 
from  Bellecourt,  distance  (p.  95)  from  Coutances," 
and  so  on.  But  any  serious  student  knows  this  to  be 
idiotic  nonsense.  The  fact  that,  except  in  some  noble 
famiUes,  such  as  de  Vesci,  whence  Vesey,  Voysey,  and 
Scottish  Veitch,  the  surname  was  not  hereditary  till 
centuries  after  the  Conquest,  justifies  any  bearer  of  a 

137 


138  NORMAN    BLOOD 

Norman  name  taken  from  a  village  or  smaller  locality 
in  repudiating  all  connection  with  the  "filthy  thieves  " 
and  conjecturing  descent  from  some  decent  artisan 
belonging  to  one  of  the  later  immigrations. 

That  a  considerable  number  of  aristocratic  families, 
and  others,  bear  an  easily  recognizable  French  town 
or  village  name  is  of  course  well  known,  but  it  will 
usually  be  found  that  such  names  are  derived  from 
places  which  are  as  plentiful  in  France  as  our  own 
Ashleys,  Bartons,  Burtons,  Langleys,  Newtons,  Sut- 
tons,  etc.,  are  in  England.  In  some  cases  a  local 
French  name  has  spread  in  an  exceptional  manner. 
Examples  are  Barnes  (Bains,  2  ^),  Gurney  (Gournai,  6), 
Vernon  (3).  But  usually  in  such  cases  we  find  a  large 
number  of  spots  which  may  have  given  rise  to  the  sur- 
name, e.g.  Beaumont  (46,  without  counting  Belmont), 
Dumpier  (Dampierre,  i.e.  St.  Peter's,  28),  Dauheney, 
Dahney  (Aubigne,  4,  Aubigny,  17),  Ferrers  (Ferrieres, 
22),  Nevill  (Neuville,  58),  Nugent  (Nogent,  17),  Villiers 
(58).  This  last  name,  representing  Vulgar  Lat.  vil- 
larium,  is  the  origin  of  Ger.  -weiler,  so  common  in 
village  names  along  the  old  Roman  roads,  e.g.  Baden- 
weiler,  Froschweiler,  etc. 

When  we  come  to  those  surnames  of  this  class  which 
have  remained  somewhat  more  exclusive,  we  generally 
find  that  the  place-name  is  also  rare.  Thus  Hawtrey 
is  from  Hauterive  (7),  Pierpoint  from  Pierrepont  (5), 
Furneaux  from  Fourneaux  (5),  Vipont  and  Vipan  from 
Vieux-Pont  (3),  and  there  are  three  places  called 
Percy.     The  following  have  two  possible  birthplaces 

^  The  figures  in  brackets  indicate  the  number  of  times  that  the 
French  local  name  occurs  in  the  Postal  Directory.  This  is  the  usual 
explanation  of  Baines,  which  is  found  with  de  in  the  Hundred  Rolls. 
But  I  think  it  was  sometimes  a  nickname,  bones,  applied  to  a  thin 
man.     I  find  William  Banes  in  Lancashire  in  1252  ;   of.  Langbain. 


CORRUPT    FORMS  139 

each — Bellew  or  Pellew  (Belleau),  Cantclo  (Canteloup^), 
Maideverer  (Maulevrier),  Monipesson  (Mont  Pin9on  or 
Pinchon),  Montmorency,  Mortimer  (Morte-mer) .  The 
following  are  unique — Carteret,  Doll^  (E)ol),  Fiennes, 
Furnival  (Fournival),  Greville,  Harcourt,  Melville 
(Meleville),  Montresor,  Mowbray  (Monbrai),  Sackville 
(Sacquenville),  V enables.  These  names  are  taken  at 
random,  but  the  same  line  of  investigation  can 
be  followed  up  by  any  reader  who  thinks  it  worth 
while. 

Apart  from  aristocratic  questions,  it  is  interesting 
to  notice  the  contamination  which  has  occurred  be- 
tween English  and  French  surnames  of  local  origin. 
The  very  common  French  suffix  -ville  is  regularly 
confounded  with  our  -field.  Thus  Summerfield  is  the 
same  name  as  Sonierville,  Dangerfield  is  for  d'Anger- 
ville,  Belfield  for  Belleville,  Blomfield  for  Blonville, 
and  Stiitfield  for  Estouteville,  while  Grenville,  Granville 
have  certainly  become  confused  with  our  Grenfell, 
green  fell,  and  Greenfield.  Camden  notes  that  Turber- 
ville  became  Troublefield,  and  I  have  found  the  inter- 
mediate Trubleville  in  the  twelfth  century.  The  case  of 
Tess  Durbey field  will  occur  to  every  reader.  The  suffix 
-fort  has  been  confused  with  our  -ford  and  -forth,  so  that 
Rochford  is  in  some  cases  for  Rochefort  and  Beeforth 
for  Beaufort  or  Belfort.  With  the  lirst  syllable  of 
Beeforth  we  may  compare  Beevor  for  Beauvoir,  Bel- 
voir,  Beecham  for  Beauchamp,  and  Beamish  for  Beau- 
mais.  The  name  Beamish  actually  occurs  as  that  of 
a  village  in  Durham,  the  earlier  form  of  which  points 
to  Old  French  origin,  from  beau  mes,  Lat.  bellum 
mansum,   a   fair  manse,    i.e.    dwelling.     Otherwise   it 

^  But  the  doublet  Chanteloup ,  champ  de  loup,  is  common. 
2  This  may  also  be  a  metronymic,  from  Dorothy. 


140  NORMAN    BLOOD 

would  be  tempting  to  derive  the  surname  Beamish 
from  Ger.  bohmisch,  earlier  behmisch,  Bohemian. 

A  brief  survey  of  French  spot-names  which  have 
passed  into  English  will  show  that  they  were  acquired 
in  exactly  the  same  way  as  the  corresponding  English 
names.  Norman  ancestry  is,  however,  not  always  to 
be  assumed  in  this  case.  Until  the  end  of  the  four- 
teenth century  a  large  proportion  of  our  population 
was  bi-lingual,  and  names  accidentally  recorded  in 
Anglo-French  may  occasionally  have  stuck.  Thus 
the  name  Boyes  or  Boyce  may  spring  from  a  man  of 
pure  English  descent  who  happened  to  be  described  as 
du  bois  instead  of  atte  wood.  This  is,  however,  rarely 
the  case.  While  English  spot-names  have  as  a  rule 
shed  both  the  preposition  and  the  article  (p.  104), 
French  usually  keeps  one  or  both,  though  these  were 
more  often  lost  when  the  name  passed  into  England. 
Thus  our  Roach  is  not  a  fish-name,  but  corresponds 
to  Fr.  Laroche  or  Delaroche  ;  and  the  blind  pirate  Pew, 
if  not  a  Welshman,  ap  Hugh,  was  of  the  race  of 
Dupuy,  from  Old  Fr.  pny,  a  hill,  Lat.  podium,  a 
height,  gallery,  etc.,  whence  also  our  pew,  once  a 
raised  platform. 

In  some  cases  the  prefix  has  passed  into  English  ; 
e.g.  Diprose  is  from  des  preaux,  of  the  meadows,  a 
name  assumed  by  Boileau  among  others.  There  are, 
of  course,  plenty  of  places  in  France  called  Les 
Preaux,  but  in  the  case  of  such  a  name  we  need  not 
go  further  than  possession  of,  or  residence  by,  a 
piece  of  grass-land — 

"  Je  sais  un  paysan  qu'on  appelait  Gros-Pierre, 
Qui,  n'ayant  pour  tout  bien  qu'un  seul  quartier  de  terre, 
Y  fit  tout  alentour  faire  un  fosse  bourbeux, 
Et  de  monsieur  de  I'Isle  en  prit  le  nom  pompeux." 

(Moliere,  L'Ecole  des  Femmes,  i.  i.) 


TREE   NAMES  141 

The  Old  French  singular  preal  is  perhaps  the 
origin  of  Prall,  Prawlc.  Similarly  Preece,  sometimes 
for  Price,  is  earlier  found  as  Precs,  i.e.  des  pres. 
With  Boyes  (p.  140)  we  may  compare  Tallis  from  Fr. 
taillis,  a  copse  [taillcr,  to  cut).  Garrick,  a  Huguenot 
name,  is  Fr,  garigue,  an  old  word  for  heath. 

Trees  have  in  all  countries  a  strong  influence  on 
topographical  names,  and  hence  on  surnames.  Frean, 
though  usually  from  the  Scandinavian  name  Frsena, 
is  sometimes  for  Fr.  frene,  ash,  Lat.  fraxinus,  while 
Cain  and  Kaines^  are  Norm,  qiiene  [chene),  oak.  The 
modern  French  for  beech  is  hetre,  Du.  heester,  but  Lat. 
fagus  has  given  a  great  many  dialect  forms  which 
have  supplied  us  with  the  surnames  Fay,  Foy,  and 
the  plural  dim.  Failes.  Here  also  I  should  put  the 
name  Defoe,  assumed  by  the  writer  whose  father  was 
satisfied  with  Foe.  With  Quatrefages,  four  beeches, 
we  may  compare  such  English  names  as  Fiveash, 
Twelvetrees,  and  Snooks,  for  "  seven  oaks." 

In  Latin  the  suffix  -etiim  was  used  to  designate  a 
grove  or  plantation.  This  suffix,  or  its  plural  -eta,  is 
very  common  in  France,  becoming  successively  -ei{e), 
-oi{e),  -ai{e).  The  name  Dohree  is  a  Guernsey  spelling 
of  d'Aubray,  Lat.  arboretum,  which  was  dissimilated 
(p.  36)  into  alhoretum.  Darblay,  the  name  of  Fanny 
Burney's  husband,  is  a  variant.  From  au{l)ne,  alder, 
we  have  aunai,  whence  our  Dawnay.  So  also  frenai 
has  given  Fr^ewey,  chenai,  Chaney,  and  the  Norm,  (^z/^^fli 
is  one  origin  of  Kenney,  while  the  older  chesnai  appears 
in  Chesney.  Houssaie  from  hoitx,  holly,  gives  Hussey  ; 
chastenai,  chestnut  grove,  exists  in  Nottingham  as 
Chasteney  ;    coudrai,   hazel  copse,  gives  Cou'drey  and 

i  There  is  one  family  of  Keynes  derived  specifically  from  Cha- 
haignes  (Sarthe). 


142  NORMAN    BLOOD 

Cowdery  ;  Verney  and  Varney  are  from  vernai,  grove  of 
alders,  of  Celtic  origin,  and  Viney  corresponds  to  the 
French  name  Vinoy,  Lat.  vinetum.  We  have  also 
Chinnery,  Chenerey  from  the  extended  chenerai,  and 
Pomeroy  from  pominerai.  Here  again  the  name  offers 
no  clue  as  to  the  exact  place  of  origin.  There  are 
in  the  French  postal  directory  eight  places  called 
Epinay,  from  Spine,  thorn,  but  these  do  not  exhaust 
the  number  of  "  spinnies"  in  France.  Also  connected 
with  tree-names  are  Conyers,  Old  Fr.  coigniers,  quince- 
trees,  and  Pirie,  Perry,  Anglo-Fr.  perie,  a  collective 
from  peire  [poire). 

Among  Norman  names  for  a  homestead  the  favourite 
is  mesnil,  from  Vulgar  Lat.  mansionile,  which  enters 
into  a  great  number  of  local  names.  It  has  given  our 
Meynell,  and  is  also  the  first  element  of  Mainwaring, 
Mannering  from  mesnil-Warin.  The  simple  mes,  a 
southern  form  of  which  appears  in  Dumas,  has  given 
us  Mees  and  Meese,  which  are  thus  etymological 
doublets  of  the  word  manse.  With  Beamish  (p.  139) 
we  may  compare  Bellasis,  from  hel-assis,  fairly  situated. 
Poyntz  is  sometimes  for  des  ponts  ;  cf.  Pierpoint  for 
Pierrepont.  T ravers  or  Travis  means  a  crossing,  or  a 
road  starting  off  from  the  highway. 

Even  Norman  names  which  were  undoubtedly  borne 
by  leaders  among  the  Conqueror's  companions  are 
now  rarely  found  among  the  noble,  and  many  a  des- 
cendant of  these  once  mighty  families  cobbles  the 
shoes  of  more  recent  invaders.  Even  so  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Spanish  nobles  who  conquered  California 
are  glad  to  peddle  vegetables  at  the  doors  of  San 
Francisco  magnates  whose  fathers  dealt  in  old  clothes 
in  some  German  Judengasse, 


CHAPTER    XV 

OF   OCCUPATIVE    NAMES 

"  When  Adam  delved  and  Eve  span, 
^Vho  was  then  the  gentleman  ?  " 

Chant  of  Wat  Tyler's  followers. 

The  occupative  name  would,  especially  in  villages, 
tend  to  become  the  most  natural  surname.  It  is  not 
therefore  surprising  to  find  so  large  a  number  of  this 
class  among  our  commonest  surnames,  e.g.  Smith, 
Taylor,  Wright,  Walker,  Turner,  Clark,  Cooper,  etc. 
And,  as  the  same  craft  often  persisted  in  a  family  for 
generations,  it  was  probably  this  type  of  surname 
which  first  became  hereditary.  On  the  other  hand, 
such  names  as  Cook,  Gardiner,  Carter,  etc.,  have  no 
doubt  in  some  cases  prevailed  over  another  surname 
lawfully  acquired  (see  p.  5).  It  is  impossible  to  fix 
an  approximate  date  for  the  definite  adoption  of  sur- 
names of  this  class.  It  occurred  earlier  in  towns 
than  in  the  country,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  four- 
teenth century  we  often  find  in  the  names  of  London 
citizens  a  contradiction  between  the  surname  and  the 
trade-name  ;  e.g.  Walter  Ussher,  tanner,  John  Botoner, 
girdler,  Roger  Carpenter,  pepperer,  Richard  le  Hunte, 
chaundeler,  occur  1336-52.  The  number  of  sur- 
names belonging  to  this  group  is  immense,  for  every 
medieval  trade  and  craft  was  highly  specialized  and 
its  privileges  were  jealously  guarded.      The  general 

143 


144  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

public,  which  now,  hke  Issachar,  crouches  between  the 
trusts  and  the  trades  unions,  was  in  the  middle  ages 
similarly  victimized  by  the  guilds  of  merchants  and 
craftsmen.  Then,  as  now,  it  grumblingly  recognized 
that,  "  Plus  9a  change,  plus  9a  reste  la  meme  chose," 
and  went  on  enduring.^ 

By  dealing  with  a  few  essential  points  at  the  outset 
we  shall  clear  the  ground  for  considering  the  various 
groups  of  surnames  connected  with  trade,  craft,  pro- 
fession or  office.  To  begin  with,  it  is  certain  that  such 
names  as  Pope,  Cayzer,  King,  Earl,  Bishop  are  nick- 
names, very  often  conferred  on  performers  in  religious 
plays  or  acquired  in  connection  with  popular  festivals 
and  processions — 

"  Names  also  have  been  taken  of  civil  honours,  dignities  and 
estate,  as  King,  Duke,  Prince,  Lord,  Baron,  Knight,  Valvasor  or 
Vavasor,  Squire,  Castellan,  partly  for  that  their  ancestours  were 
such,  served  such,  acted  such  parts  ;  or  were  Kings  of  the  Bean, 
Christmas-Lords,  etc."   (Camden). 

We  find  corresponding  names  in  other  languages, 
and  some  of  the  French  names,  usually  preceded  by 
the  definite  article,  have  passed  into  English,  e.g. 
Lempriere,  a  Huguenot  name,  and  Leveque,  whence  our 
Levick,  Vick,  Veck  (p.  33).  Baron  generally  appears 
as  Barron,  and  Duke,  used  in  Mid.  EngUsh  of  any 
leader,  is  often  degraded  to  Duck,  whence  the  dim. 
Duckett.     But  all  three  of  these  names  can  also  be 

i  If  a  student  of  philology  were  allowed  to  touch  on  such  high 
matters  as  legislation,  I  would  moralize  on  the  word  kiddle,  meaning 
an  illegal  kind  of  weir  used  for  fish-poaching,  which  has  given  our 
name  Kiddell.  From  investigations  made  with  a  view  to  discovering 
the  origin  of  the  word,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  all  the  legisla- 
tive powers  in  England  spent  three  centuries  in  passing  enactments 
against  these  devices,  with  the  inevitable  consequence  that  they 
became  ever  more  numerous. 


SOCIAL    GRADES  145 

referred  to  Marmaduke.  We  have  also  the  imitative 
Ducat.  It  would  be  tempting  to  put  Palsgrave  in 
this  class.  Prince  Rupert,  the  Pfalzgraf,  i.e.  Count 
Palatine,  was  known  as  the  Palsgrave  in  his  day,  but 
I  have  not  found  the  title  early  enough. 

With  Lord  we  must  put  the  northern  Laird,  and, 
in  my  opinion,  Senior  ;  for,  if  we  notice  how  much 
commoner  Young  is  than  Old,  and  Fr.  Lejeune  than 
Levieux,  we  must  conclude  that  Junior,  a  very  rare 
surname,  ought  to  be  of  much  more  frequent  occur- 
rence than  Senior,  Synyer,  a  fairly  common  name. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Senior  is  usually  a 
latinization  of  the  medieval  le  seigneur,  whence  also 
Saynor.  Knight  is  not  always  knightly,  for  Anglo- 
Sax,  cniht  means  servant  ;  cf .  Ger.  Knecht.  The  word 
got  on  in  the  world,  with  the  consequence  that  the 
name  is  very  popular,  while  its  medieval  compeers, 
knave,  varlet,  villain,  have,  even  when  adorned  with 
the  adj.  good,  dropped  out  of  the  surname  list.  Bon- 
valet,  Bonvarlet,  Bonvillain  are  still  common  surnames 
in  France.  From  Knight  we  have  the  compound  Road- 
night,  a  mounted  servitor.  Thus  Knight  is  more  often 
a  true  occupative  name,  and  the  same  applies  to  Dring 
or  Dreng,  a  Scandinavian  name  of  similar  meaning. 

Other  names  from  the  middle  rungs  of  the  social 
ladder  are  also  to  be  taken  literally,  e.g.  Franklin,  a 
freeholder,  Anglo-Fr.  frankelein — 

"  How  called  you  your  franklin,  Prior  Aylmer  ?  " 
"  Cedric,"  answered  the  Prior,  "  Cedric  the  Saxon  " 

{Ivanhoe,  ch.  i.) — 

Burgess,  Freeman,  Freeborn,  this  latter  sometimes  for 
Freebairn  and  existing  already  as  the  Anglo-Saxon 
personal  name  Freobeorn.     Denison  (p.    14)  is    occa- 
II 


146  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

sionally  an  accommodated  form  of  denizen,  Anglo-Fr. 
deinzem,  a  burgess  enjoying  the  privileges  belonging 
to  those  who  hved  "  deinz  (in)  la  cite."  In  1483  a 
certain  Edward  Jhonson — 

"  Sued  to  be  mayde  Denison  for  fer  of  y*  payment  of  y  subsedy." 
{Letter  to  Sir  William  Stonor,  June  9,  1483.) 

Bond  is  from  Anglo-Sax.  honda,  which  means  simply 
agriculturist.  The  word  is  of  Icelandic  origin  and 
related  to  Boor,  another  word  which  has  deteriorated 
and  is  rare  as  a  surname,  though  the  name  Bauer 
is  common  enough  in  Germany.  Holder  is  translated 
by  Tennant.  For  some  other  names  applied  to  the 
humbler  peasantry  see  p.  133. 

To  return  to  the  social  summit,  we  have  King  son, 
often  confused  with  the  local  Kingston,  and  its  Anglo- 
French  equivalent  Fauntleroy.  Faunt,  aphetic  for 
Anglo-Fr.  en  faunt,  is  common  in  Mid.  English.  When 
the  mother  of  Moses  had  made  the  ark  of  bulrushes, 
or,  as  Wyclif  calls  it,  the  "  jonket  of  resshen,"  she — 

"  Putte  the  litil  faunt  with  ynne  " 

{Exodus  ii.  3). 

The  Old  French  accusative  (p.  9,  n.)  was  also  used 
as  a  genitive,  as  in  Bourg-le-roi,  Bourg-la-reine,  corre- 
sponding to  our  Kingsbury  and  Queensborough.  We 
have  a  genitive  also  in  Flowerdew,  found  in  French 
as  Flourdieu.  Lower,  in  his  Patronymica  Britannica 
(i860),  the  first  attempt  at  a  dictionary  of  EngUsh 
surnames,^    conjectures    Fauntleroy    to    be    from    an 

1  I  have  quoted  this  "  etymology  "  because  it  is  too  funny 
to  be  lost;  but  a  good  deal  of  useful  information  can  be  found 
in  Lower,  especially  with  regard  to  the  habitat  of  well-known 
names. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    NAMES  147 

ancient  French  war-cry  Defendez  le  roi !  f or  "  in  course 
of  time,  the  meaning  of  the  name  being  forgotten,  the 
de  would  be  dropped,  and  the  remaining  syllables 
would  easily  gUde  into  Fauntleroy." 

Names  of  ecclesiastics  must  usually  be  nicknames, 
because  medieval  churchmen  were  not  entitled  to  have 
descendants.  This  appears  clearly  in  such  an  entry  as 
"  Johannes  Monacus  et  uxor  ejus  Emma,"  living  in 
Kent  in  the  twelfth  century.  But  these  names  are  so 
numerous  that  I  have  put  them  with  the  Canterbury 
Pilgrims  (ch.  xvii.).  Three  of  them  maybe  mentioned 
here  in  connection  with  a  small  group  of  occupative 
surnames  of  puzzling  form.  We  have  noticed  (p.  104) 
that  monosyllabic,  and  some  other,  surnames  of  local 
origin  frequently  take  an  -s,  partly  by  analogy  with 
names  like  Wills,  Watts,  etc.  We  rarely  find  this  -s 
in  the  case  of  occupative  names,  but  Parsons,  Vicars 
or  Vickers,  and  Monks  are  common,  and  in  fact  the 
first  two  are  scarcely  found  without  the  -s.  To  these 
we  may  add  Reeves  (p.  164),  Grieves  (p.  181),  and  the 
well-known  Nottingham  name  Mellqrs  (p.  164).  The 
explanation  seems  to  be  that  these  names  are  true 
genitives,  and  that  John  Parsons  was  John  the 
Parson's  man,  while  John  Monks  was  employed  by 
the  monastery.  Vigors  or  Vigers  I  guess  to  be  formed 
in  the  same  way  from  Fr.  viguier — 

"  Viguier,  the  ordinary  judge  of  a  country  town  "  (Cotgrave). 

Another  exceptional  group  is  that  of  names  formed 
by  adding  -son  to  the  occupative  names,  the  com- 
monest being  perhaps  Clarkson,  Cookson,  Sniithson,  and 
Wrightson.  To  this  class  belongs  Grayson,  which 
Bardsley  clearly  shows  to  be  equivalent  to  the  grieve 's 
son. 


148  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

Our  occupative  names  are  both  English  and  French,^ 
the  two  languages  being  represented  by  those  impor- 
tant tradesmen  Baker  and  Butcher.  The  former  is 
reinforced  by  Biillinger,  Fr.  boulanger,  and  Fiirner — 

"  Fournier,  a  baker,  or  one  that  keeps,  or  governs  a  common 
oven"   (Cotgrave). 

In  some  other  cases  the  English  and  French  names 
for  the  same  trade  both  survive,  e.g.  Chceseman  and 
Firminger,  Old  Fr.  formagicr  {fromage). 

We  have  as  endings  -cr,  -ier,  the  latter  often  made 
into  -yer,  -ger,  as  in  Lockyer,  Sawyer,  Kidger  (p.  i8i), 
Woodger,^  and  -or,  -our,  as  in  Taylor,  Jenoure  (p.  33). 
The  latter  ending,  corresponding  to  Modern  Fr.  -eur, 
represents  Lat.  -or,  -orem,  but  we  tack  it  onto  English 
words  as  in  "sailor,"  or  substitute  it  for  -er,  -ier,  as 
in  Fermor,  for  Farmer,  Fr.  fermier.  In  the  Privy  Purse 
Expenses  of  that  careful  monarch  Henry  VII.  occurs 
the  item — 

"  To  bere  drunken  at  a  fermors  house  .  .  is." 

In  the  same  way  we  replace  the  Fr.  -our,  -eur  by  -er,  as 
in  Turner,  Fr.  toutneur,  Gmner,  Jenner  for  Jenoure. 

The  ending  -er,  -ier  represents  the  Lat.  -arius.  It 
passed  not  only  into  French,  but  also  into  the 
Germanic  languages,  replacing  the  Teutonic  agential 
suffix  which  consisted  of  a  single  vowel.  We  have 
a  few  traces  of  this  oldest  group  of  occupative  names, 
e.g.  Webb,  Mid.  Eng.  webbe,  Anglo-Sax.  webb-a,  and 
Hunt,  Mid.  Eng.  hunte,  Anglo-Sax.  hunt-a — 

"With  hunte  and  home  and  houndes  hym  bisyde  " 

(A,  1678)— 

1  We  have  also  a  few  Latinizations.  This  type  of  name  is  much 
commoner  in  Germany,  e.g.  Avenarius,  oat-man,  Fabricius,  smith, 
Textor,  weaver,  etc.  Mercator,  of  map  projection  fame,  was  a 
German  named  Kaufmann. 

2  Woodyer,  Woodger  may  also  be  for  wood-hewer.  See  Sianier 
(p.  21). 


NAMES    IN   -STER  149 

which  still  hold  the  field  easily  against  Webber  and 
Hunter.  So  also,  the  German  name  Beck  represents 
Old  High  Ger.  becch-o,  baker.  To  these  must  be  added 
Kemp,  a  champion,  a  very  early  loan-word  connected 
with  Lat.  campus,  field,  and  Wright,  originally  the 
worker,  Anglo-Sax.  wyrht-a.  Camp  is  sometimes  for 
Kemp,  but  may  be  also  from  the  latinized  in  campo, 
i.e.  Field.  Of  similar  formation  is  Clapp,  from  an 
Anglo-Sax.  nickname,  the  clapper — 

"  Osgod  Clapa,  King  Edward  Confessor's  staller,  was  cast  upon 
the  pavement  of  the  Church  by  a  demon's  hand  for  his  insolent 
pride  in  presence  of  the  relics  (of  St.  Edmund,  King  and  Martyr)." 
(W.  H.  Hutton,  Bampton  Lectures,  1903.) 

The  ending  -ster  was  originally  feminine,  and 
applied  to  trades  chiefly  carried  on  by  women,  e.g. 
Baxter,  Bagster,  baker,  Brewster,  Simister,  sempster, 
Webster,  etc.,  but  in  process  of  time  the  distinction 
was  lost,  so  that  we  find  Blaxter  and  Whitster  for 
Blacker,  Blaker,  and  Whiter,  both  of  which,  curiously 
enough,  have  the  same  meaning — 

"  Bleykester  or  whytster,  candidarius  "   {Prompt.   Parv.)  — 

for  this  black  represents  Mid.  Eng.  blac,  related  to 
bleak  and  bleach,  and  meaning  pale — 

"Blake,  wan  of  colour,  blesnie  (bleme)"  (Palsgrave). 

Occupative  names  of  French  origin  are  apt  to 
vary  according  to  the  period  and  dialect  of  their 
adoption.  For  Butcher  we  find  also  Booker,  Bowker, 
and  sometimes  the  later  Bosher,  Busher,  with  the 
same  sound  for  the  ch  as  in  Labouchere,  the  lady 
butcher.  But  Biisher  is  usually  wood-monger.  Old 
Fr.  busche  [buche],  log,  and  Boger  and  Bodger  represent 
rather  an  archaic  spelling  of  Bowyer.  Butcher,  origin- 
ally  a   dealer   in   goat's   flesh,    Fr.    bone,   has   ousted 


150  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

flesher.  German  still  has  half  a  dozen  surnames  de- 
rived from  names  for  this  trade,  e.g.  Fleischer,  Fleisch- 
mann,^  Metzger,  Schlechter;  but  our  flesher  has  been 
absorbed  by  Fletcher,  a  maker  of  arrows,  Fr.  fleche. 
Fletcher  Gate  at  Nottingham  was  formerly  Flesher 
Gate.  The  undue  extension  of  Taylor  has  already 
been  mentioned  (p.  44).  Another  example  is  Barker, 
which  has  swallowed  up  the  Anglo-Fr.  herquier,  a 
shepherd,  Fr.  berger,  with  the  result  that  the  Barkers 
outnumber  the  Ta-nners  by  three  to  one — 

"  '  What  craftsman  are  you  ?  '  said  our  King, 
'  I  pray  you,  tell  me  now.' 
'  I  am  a  barker,'  quoth  the  tanner  ; 
'What  craftsman  art  thou  ?  '  " 

{Edward  IV.   and  the   Tanner  of   Tamworth.) 

The  name  seems  to  have  been  applied  also  to  the 
man  who  barked  trees  for  the  tanner. 

With  Barker  it  seems  natural  to  mention  Mewer, 
of  which  I  lind  one  representative  in  the  London 
Directory.  The  medieval  le  muur  had  charge  of  the 
mews  in  which  the  hawks  were  kept  while  moulting 
(Fr.  muer,  Lat.  mutare).  Hence  the  phrase  "  mewed 
up."  The  word  seems  to  have  been  used  for  any  kind 
of  coop.     Chaucer  tells"  us  of  the  Franklin — 

"  Ful  many  a  fat  partrich  hadde  he  in  muw  "  (A,  349). 

I  suspect  that  some  of  the  Muirs  (p.  113)  spring 
from  this  important  ofhce.  Similarly  Clayer  has  been 
absorbed  by  the  noble  Clare,  Kayer,  the  man  by  the 
quay,  by  Care,  and  Blower,  whether  of  horn  or  bellows, 
has  paid  tribute  to  the  local  Bloor,  Blore.     Sewer,  an 

1  Hellenized  as  Sarkander.  This  was  a  favourite  trick  of  German 
scholars  at  the  Renaissance  period.  Well-known  examples  are 
Melancthon   (Schwarzerd),  Neander  (Neumann). 


MISSING    TRADESMEN  151 

attendant  at  table,  aphetic  for  Old  Fr.  asseour,  a 
setter,  is  now  a  very  rare  name.  As  we  know  that 
sewer,  a  drain,  became  shore,  it  is  probable  that  the 
surname  Shore  sometimes  represents  this  official  or 
servile  title.  And  this  same  name  Shore,  though  not 
particularly  common,  and  susceptible  of  a  simple  local 
origin,  labours  under  grave  suspicion  of  having  also 
enriched  itself  at  the  expense  of  the  medieval  le  suur, 
the  shoemaker,  Lat.  sutor-em,  whence  Fr.  Lesueur. 
This  would  inevitably  become  Sewer  and  then  Shore, 
as  above.  Perhaps,  in  the  final  reckoning,  Shaw  is 
not  altogether  guiltless,  and  we  also  find  the  surname 
Sure. 

The  medieval  le  suur  brings  us  to  another  problem, 
viz.  the  poor  show  made  by  the  craftsmen  who  clothed 
the  upper  and  lower  extremities  of  our  ancestors. 
The  name  hatter,  once  frequent  enough,  appears  to  be 
extinct,  and  Capper  is  not  very  common.  The  name 
shoemaker  has  met  with  the  same  fate,  though  the 
trade  is  represented  by  the  Lat.  Sutor,  whence  Scot. 
Souter.  Here  belong  also  Cordner,  Codner,^  Old  Fr. 
cordouanier  [cordonnier] ,  a  cordwainer,  a  worker  in 
Cordovan  leather,  and  Corser, '  Cosser,  earlier  corviser, 
corresponding  to  the  French  name  Courvoisier,  also 
derived  from  Cordova.  Chaucer,  in  describing  the 
equipment  of  Sir  Thopas,  mentions — 

"His  shoon  of  tordewane"   (B,   1922). 

The  scarcity  of  Groser,  grocer,  is  not  surprising,  for 
the  word,  aphetic  for  engrosser,  originally  meaning  a 
wholesale  dealer,  one  who  sold  en  gros,  is  of  compara- 
tively late  occurrence.     His  medieval  representative 

^  Confused,  of  course,  with  the  local  Codnor  (Derbyshire). 


152  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

was  Spicer.  On  the  other  hand,  many  occupative 
names  which  are  now  obsolete,  or  practically  so,  still 
survive  strongly  as  surnames.  Many  examples  of  these 
will  be  found  in  chapters  xvii.-xx. 

Some  occupative  names  are  rather  deceptive.  Kisser, 
which  is  said  still  to  exist,  means  a  maker  of  cuishes, 
thigh-armour,  Fr.  cuisses — 

"  Helm,  cuish,  and  breastplate  streamed  with  gore." 

{Lord  of  the  Isles,  iv.   jiZ-) 

Corker  is  for  caulker,  i.e.  one  who  stopped  the  chinks 
of  ships  and  casks,  originally  with  lime  (Lat.  calx) — 

"  Sir,  we  have  a  chest  beneath  the  hatches,  caiilk'd  and 
bitumed  ready"  {Pericles  iii.   i). 

Cleaver  represents  Old  Fr.  clavier,  a  mace-bearer. 
Lat.  clava,  a  club,  or  a  door-keeper,  Lat.  clavis,  a  key. 
Perhaps  even  clavus,  a  nail,  must  also  be  considered, 
for  a  Latin  vocabulary  of  the  fifteenth  century  tells 
us — 

"  CldMes,  -vos  vel  -vas  qui  fert  sit  claviger." 

Neither  Bowler  nor  Scorer  are  connected  with  cricket. 
The  former  made  wooden  bowls,  and  the  latter  was 
sometimes  a  scourer,  or  scout.  Mid.  Eng.  scurrour, 
from  the  Old  Fr.  verb  escourre,  Lat.  excurrere,  to 
run  out,  but  perhaps  more  frequently  a  peaceful 
scullion,  Fr.  ecurer,  to  scour,  Lat.  ex-curare — 

"  Escureiir,  a  scourer,  cleanser,  feyer  ^  "   (Cotgrave). 

A  Leaper  did  not  always  leap  (p.  165) .  In  some  cases 
the  name  is  for  le  leper,  a  common  medieval  entry, 
generally  to  be  regarded  as  a  nickname.  In  others  it 
may  represent  a  maker  of  leaps,  i.e.  fish  baskets,  or 
perhaps  a  man  who  hawked  fish  in  such  a  basket.     A 

^  A  sweeper,  now  swallowed  up,  as  a  surname,  by  Fair. 


SPELLING    OF    TRADE-NAMES  153 

Slayer  made  slays,  part  of  a  weaver's  loom,  and  a 
Bloomer  worked  in  a  bloom-smithy,  from  Anglo-Sax. 
bloma,  a  mass  of  hammered  iron.  Weightman  and 
Way  man  represent  Mid.  Eng.  wa]^eman,  hunter ;  of. 
the  common  German  surname  Weidemann,  of  cognate 
origin.  Reader  and  Booker  are  not  usually  literary. 
The  former  is  for  Reeder,  a  thatcher — 

"  Redare  of  howsys,  calatnator,  arimdinarius  "  [Prompt.  Paro.) — 

and  the  latter  is  a  Norman  variant  of  Butcher. 

The  spelling  of  occupative  surnames  often  differs 
from  that  now  associated  with  the  trade  itself.  In 
Naylor,  Taylor,  and  Tyler  ^  we  have  the  archaic  pre- 
ference for  r.  Our  ancestors  thought  sope  as  good 
a  spelling  as  soap,  hence  the  name  Soper.  A  Plnmmer, 
i.e.  a  man  who  worked  in  lead,  Lat.  plumbuvi,  is  now 
written,  by  etymological  reaction,  plumber,  though 
the  restored  letter  is  not  sounded.  A  man  who  dealt 
in  'arbs  originated  the  name  Arber,  which  we  should 
now  replace  by  herbalist.  We  have  a  restored  spelling 
in  clerk,  though  educated  people  pronounce  the  word 
as  it  was  once  written — 

"  Clarke,  or  he  that  readeth  distinctly,  clericus." 

(Holyoak's  Lat.  Diet.,  1612.) 

In  many  cases  we  are  unable  to  say  exactly  what  is 
the  occupation  indicated.  We  may  assume  that  a 
Setter  and  a  Tipper  did  setting  and  tipping,  and  both 
are  said  to  have  been  concerned  in  the  arrow  industry. 
If  this  is  true,  I  should  say  that  Setter  might  repre- 
sent the  Old   Fr.   saieteur,   arrow- maker,  from  saiete, 

1  It  may  be  noted  here  that  John  Tiler  of  Dartford,  who  killed  a 
tax-gatherer  for  insulting  his  daughter,  was  not  Wat  Tiler,  who  was 
killed  at  Smithfield  for  insulting  the  King.  The  confusion  between 
the  two  has  led  to  much  sjonpathy  being  wasted  on  a  ruffian. 


154  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

an  arrow,  Lat.  sagitta.  But  in  a  medieval  vocabulary 
we  find  "  setter  of  mes,  dapifer,"  which  would  make 
it  the  same  as  Sewer  (p.  151).  Similarly,  when  we 
consider  the  number  of  objects  that  can  be  tipped, 
we  shall  be  shy  of  defining  the  activity  of  the  Tipper 
too  closely.  I  conjecture  that  a  Trinder,  earlier 
trender,  was  the  same  as  a  Roller,  but  I  cannot  say 
what  they  rolled — 

"  Lat  hym  rollen  and  trenden  withynne  hymself  the  Ij'ght  of  his 
3'nwarde  sighte  "  (Boece,  1043). 

There  are  also  some  names  of  this  class  to  which 
we  can  with  certainty  attribute  two  or  more  origins. 
Boulter  inea.ns  a  maker  of  bolts  for  crossbows,  ^  but  also 
a  sifter,  from  the  obsolete  verb  to  bolt — 

"  The   fanned   snow,   that's   bolted 
By  the  northern  blasts  twice  o'er." 

{Wintey's  Tale,  iv.   3.) 

Corner  means  horn-blower,  Fr.  cor,  horn,  and  is  also  a 
contraction  of  coroner,  but  its  commonest  origin  is  local, 
in  angulo,  in  the  corner.  Currer  and  Ciirryer  are  gener- 
ally connected  with  leather,  but  Henry  VII.  bestowed 
;^3  on  the  currer  that  brought  tidings  of  Perkin  War- 
beck.  Garner  has  live  possible  origins  :  (i)  a  contrac- 
tion of  gardener,  (ii)  from  the  French  personal  name 
Gamier,  Ger.  Werner,  (iii)  Old  Fr.  grenier,  grain-keeper, 
(iv)  Old  Fr.  garennier,  warren  keeper,  (v)  local,  from 
garner,  Fr.  grenier,  Lat.  granarium.  In  the  next  chap- 
ter will  be  found,  as  a  specimen  problem,  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  name  Rutter. 

Two  phonetic  phenomena  should  also  be  noticed. 
One  is  the  regular  insertion  of  n  before  the  ending 
-ger,  as  in  Firminger  (p.  148),  Massinger  (p.  185),  Pot- 

1  How  many  people  who  use  the  expression  "  bolt  upright " 
associate  it  with  "  straight  as  a  dart  "  ? 


PHONETIC    CHANGES  155 

linger  (p.  176),  and  in  Arminger,  Clavinger,  from  the 
latinized  armiger,  esquire,  and  claviger,  mace-bearer, 
etc.  (p.  152).  The  other  is  the  fact  that  many  occu- 
pative  names  ending  in  -rer  lose  the  -er  by  dissimila- 
tion (p.  36).  Examples  are  Armour  for  armourer, 
Barter  for  barterer,  Buckler  for  bucklerer,  but  also 
for  buckle-maker,  Callender  for  calenderer,  one  who 
calendered,  i.e.  pressed,  cloth — 

"And  my  good  friend  the  callender 
Will  lend  his  horse  to  go." 

[John  Gilpin,  1.   22) — 

Coffer,  for  cofferer,  a  treasurer,  Cover,  for  coverer, 
i.e.  tiler,  Fr.  couvreur,  when  it  does  not  correspond 
to  Fr.  cuvier,  i.e.  a  maker  of  cuves,  vats.  Ginger, 
Grammer,  for  grammarer.  Paternoster,  maker  of  pater- 
nosters or  rosaries,  Pepper,  Sellar,  for  cellarer  (see  p.  29), 
Tabor,  for  Taberer,  player  on  the  taber.  Here  also 
belongs  Treasure,  for  treasurer.  Salter  is  sometimes 
for  sautrier,  a  player  on  the  psaltery.  We  have  the 
opposite  process  in  poulterer  for  Poiilter  (p.  15),  and 
caterer  for  Cator   (p.  33). 

Such  names  as  Ginger,  Pepper,  may  however  belong 
to  the  class  of  nicknames  conferred  on  dealers  in  cer- 
tain commodities ;  cf .  Pescod,  Peskett,  from  pease-cod. 
Of  this  we  have  several  examples  which  can  be  con- 
firm.ed  by  foreign  parallels,  e.g.  Garlick,  found  in 
German  as  Knoblauch,'  Straw,  represented  in  German 
by  the  cognate  name  Stroh,  and  Pease,  which  is 
certified  by  Fr.  Despois.  We  find  Witepease  in  the 
twelfth  century. 

Especially  common  are  those  names  which  deal 
with  the  two  staple  foods  of  the  country,  bread  and 

^  The  cognate  Eng.  clove-leek  occurs  as  a  surname  in  the  Ramsey 
Cartulary. 


156  OF  OCCUPATIVE  NAMES 

beer.  In  German  we  find  several  compounds  of  Brot, 
bread,  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  chess-players  bore 
the  amazing  name  Zuckertort,  sugar-cake.  In  French 
we  have  such  names  as  Painchaud,  Painleve,  Pain- 
tendre — 

"  Eugene  Aram  was  usher,  in  1744,  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Painhlanc,  in 
Piccadilly"  (Bardsley). 

Plence  our  Cakehread  and  Whithread  were  probably 
names  given  to  bakers.  Simnel  is  explained  in  the 
same  way,  and  Lambert  Simnel  is  understood  to  have 
been  a  baker's  lad,  but  the  name  could  equally  well 
be  from  Fr.  Simonel,  dim.  of  Simon.  Wastall  is  found 
in  the  Hundred  Rolls  as  wastel,  Old  Fr.  gastcl  {gateau). 
Here  also  belongs  Cracknell — 

"  Craquelin,  a  cracknell ;  made  of  the  yolks  of  egges,  water, 
and  flower;    and  fashioned  like  a  hollow  trendle  "  (Cotgrave). 

Goodbeer  is  explained  by  Bardsley  as  a  perversion  of 
Godber  (p.  72),  which  may  be  true,  but  the  name  is  also 
to  be  taken  literally.  We  have  Ger.  Guthier,  and  the 
existence  of  Sourale  in  the  Hundred  Rolls  and  Sower- 
butts  at  the  present  day  justifies  us  in  accepting  both 
Goodbeer  and  Goodale  at  their  face-value.  But  Rice 
is  an  imitative  form  of  Welsh  Rhys,  Reece,  and  Salt, 
when  not  derived  from  Salt  in  Stafford,  is  from  Old 
Fr.  sault,^  a  wood,  Lat.  saltus.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
the  name  Cheese  is  to  be  included  here,  Jan  Kees,  for 
John  Cornelius,  said  to  have  been  a  nickname  for 
a  Hollander,  may  easily  have  reached  the  Eastern 
counties.  Bardsley's  earliest  instance  for  the  name  is 
John  Chese,  who  was  living  in  Norfolk  in  1273.  But 
still  I  find  Furmage  as  a  medieval  surname.     We  also 

^  This  is  common  in  place-names,  and  I  should  suggest,  as  a  guess, 
that  Sacheverell  is  from  the  village  of  Sault-Chevreuil-du-Tronchet 
(Manche). 


NAMES    FROM    WARES  157 

have  the  dealer  in  meat  represented  by  the  classical 
example  of  Hogsflesh,  with  which  we  may  compare 
Mutton  and  Veal,  two  names  which  may  be  seen  fairly 
near  each  other  in  Hammersmith  Road  (but  for  these 
see  also  p.  223),  and  I  have  known  a  German  named 
Kalbfleisch.  Names  of  this  kind  would  sometimes  come 
into  existence  through  the  practice  of  crying  wares; 
though  if  Mr.  Rottenherring,  who  was  a  freeman  of 
York  in  1332,  obtained  his  in  this  way,  he  must  have 
deliberately  ignored  an  ancient  piece  of  wisdom. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

A  SPECIMEN   PROBLEM 

"  Howe  sayst  thou,  man  ?   am  not  I  a  joly  yutter  ?  " 

(Skelton,  Magnyfycence,  1.  762.) 

The  fairly  common  name  Rutter  is  a  good  example  of 
the  difficulty  of  explaining  a  surname  derived  from  a 
trade  or  calling  no  longer  practised.  Even  so  careful 
an  authority  as  Bardsley  has  gone  hopelessly  astray 
over  this  name.  He  says,  "  German  ritter,  a  rider, 
i.e.  a  trooper,"  and  quotes  from  Halliwell,  "  rutter,  a 
rider,  a  trooper,  from  the  German  ;  a  name  given  to 
mercenary  soldiers  engaged  from  Brabant,  etc."  Now 
this  statement  is  altogether  opposed  to  chronology. 
The  name  occurs  as  le  roter,  rotour,  ruter  in  the  Hundred 
Rolls  of  1273,  i.e.  more  than  two  centuries  before  any 
German  name  for  trooper  could  possibly  have  become 
familiar  in  England.  Any  stray  Mid.  High  Ger.  Riter 
would  have  been  assimilated  to  the  cognate  Eng.  Rider. 
It  is  possible  that  some  German  Reuters  have  become 
English  Rutters  in  comparatively  modern  times,  but 
the  German  surname  Renter  has  nothing  to  do  with 
a  trooper.  It  represents  Mid.  High  Ger.  riutcsre,  a 
clearer  of  land,  from  the  verb  riuten  {reuten),  cor- 
responding to  Low  Ger.  roden,  and  related  to  our  royd, 
a  clearing  (p.  iii).  This  word  is  apparently  not  con- 
nected with  our  root,  though  it  means  to  root  out, 

158 


RUTTER  159 

but  ultimately  belongs  to  a  root  ni  which  appears 
in  Lat.  nitrum,  a  spade,  rutabuhivi,  a  rake,  etc. 

There  is  another  Ger.  Renter,  a  trooper,  which  has 
given  the  sixteenth-century  Eng.  rutter,  but  not  as  a 
surname.  The  word  appears  in  German  about  1500, 
i  e.  rather  late  for  the  surname  period,  and  comes 
from  Du.  miter,  a  mercenary  trooper.  The  German 
for  trooper  is  Reiter,  really  the  same  word  as  Ritter,  a 
knight,  the  two  forms  having  been  differentiated  in 
meaning  ;  cf .  Fr.  cavalier,  a  trooper,  and  chevalier,  a 
knight.  In  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries 
Ger.  Reiter  was  confused  with,  and  supplanted  by,  this 
borrowed  word  Renter,  which  was  taken  to  mean 
rider,  and  we  find  the  cavalry  called  Renterei  well 
into  the  eighteenth  century.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the 
two  words  are  quite  unrelated,  though  the  origin  of 
Du.  ruiter  is  disputed. 

The  New  English  Dictionary  gives,  from  the  year 
1506,  rutter  (var.  ruter,  ruiter),  a  cavalry  soldier,  especi- 
ally German,  from  Du.  ruiter,  whence  Ger.  Renter,  as 
above.  It  connects  the  Dutch  word  with  medieval 
Lat.  rutarius,  i.e.  ruptarius,  which  is  also  Kluge's  ^  view. 
But  Franck  ^  sees  phonetic  difficulties  and  prefers  to 
regard  ruiter  as  belonging  rather  to  ruiten,  to  uproot. 
The  application  of  the  name  up-rooter  to  a  lawless 
mercenary  is  not  unnatural. 

But  whatever  be  the  ultimate  origin  of  this  Dutch 
and  German  military  word,  it  is  sufficiently  obvious  that 
it  cannot  have  given  an  English  surname  which  is 
already  common  in  the  thirteenth  century.  There  is 
a  much  earlier  claimant  in  the  field.  The  New  English 
Dictionary   has   roter   (1297),    var.    rotour,    rotor,    and 

1  Deutsches  Etymologisches  Worterbuch. 

2  Etymologisch  Woordenboek  der  Nederlandsche  Taal. 


i6o  A  SPECIMEN   PROBLEM 

router  (1379),  a  lawless  person,  robber,  ruffian,  from  Old 
Fr.  rotier  (routier),  and  also  the  form  rvMr,  used  by 
Philemon  Holland,  who,  in  his  translation  of  Camden's 
Britannia  (1610),  says  "  That  age  called  foraine  and 
willing  souldiours  rutars."  The  reference  is  to  King 
John's  mercenaries,  c.  1215.  Fr.  routier,  a  mercenary, 
is  usually  derived  from  route,  a  band,  Lat.  rupta,  a 
piece  broken  off,  a  detachment.  References  to  the 
grandes  routes,  the  great  mercenary  bands  which  over- 
ran France  in  the  fourteenth  century,  are  common 
in  French  history.  But  the  word  was  popularly,  and 
naturally,  connected  W\th.route,  Lat.  [via]  rupta,  a  high- 
way, so  that  Godefroy  ^  separates  routier,  a  vagabond, 
from  routier,  a  bandit  soldier.     Cotgrave  has — 

"  Routier,  an  old  traveller,  one  that  by  nauch  trotting  up  and 
down  is  grown  acquainted  with  most  waies  ;  and  hence,  an  old 
beaten  souldier  ;  one  whom  a  long  practise  hath  made  experienced 
in,  or  absolute  master  of,  his  profession  ;  and  (in  evill  part)  an  old 
crafty  fox,  notable  beguiler,  ordinary  deceiver,  subtill  knave  ;  also, 
a  purse-taker,  or  a  robber  by  the  high  way  side." 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  relative  shares  of 
route,  a  band,  and  route,  a  highway,  in  this  definition, 
but  there  has  probably  been  natural  confusion  between 
two  words,  separate  in  meaning,  though  etymologically 
identical.  Fr.  reitre,  a  German  trooper,  which  repre- 
sents Ger.  Reiter  or  Renter,  appears  in  the  sixteenth 
century  with  practically  the  meaning  of  routier.  In 
fact  un  vieux  reitre  and  un  vieux  routier  are  used  in- 
differently for  an  artful  old  dodger,  an  old  soldier  in 
the  bad  sense.     Victor  Hugo  couples  the  two  words — 

"  Au-dedans,  routier s,  retires, 
Vont  battant  le  pays  et  brulant  la  moisson." 

{Ruy  Bias,  iii.  2.) 

1  Dictionnaire  de  I'ancien  Francais. 


RUTTER  i6i 

Now  our  thirteenth- century  rotors  and  riders  may 
represent  Old  Fr.  rontier,  and  have  been  names  appHed 
to  a  mercenary  soldier  or  a  vagabond.  But  this  cannot 
be  considered  certain.  If  we  consult  du  Cange/  we 
find,  s.v.  rumpere,  "  ruptarii,  pro  ruptuarii,  quidam 
prsedones  sub  xi  saeculum,  ex  rusticis  .  .  .  collecti  ac 
conflati,"  which  suggests  connection  with  "  ruptuarius, 
colonus  qui  agrum  seu  terram  rumpit,  proscindit, 
colit,"  i.e.  that  the  ruptarii,  also  coWedrutarii,  riitharii, 
rotharii,  rotarii,  etc.,  were  so  named  because  they  were 
revolting  peasants,  i.e.  men  connected  with  the  rotiire, 
or  breaking  of  the  soil,  from  which  we  get  rotiirier, 
a  plebeian.  That  would  still  connect  our  Riittcrs  with 
Lat.  rumpere,  but  by  a  third  road. 

Finally,  Old  French  has  one  more  word  which  seems 
to  me  quite  as  good  a  candidate  as  any  of  the  others, 
viz.  roteur,  a  player  on  the  rote,  i.e.  the  fiddle  used  by 
the  medieval  minstrels,   Chaucer  says  of   his  Frere — 

"  Wel  koude  he  synge  and  plaj^en  on  a  rote." 

(A,  236.) 

The  word  is  possibly  of  Celtic  origin  (Welsh  crwth)  and 
a  doublet  of  the  archaic  crowd,  or  crowth,  a  fiddle. 
Both  rote  and  crowth  are  used  by  Spenser.  Crowd  is 
perhaps  not  yet  obsolete  in  dialect,  and  the  fiddler 
in  Hudibras  is  called  Crowdero.  Thus  Rntter  may  be 
a  doublet  of  Crowther.  There  may  be  other  possible 
etymologies  for  Rntter,  but  those  discussed  will  suffice 
to  show  that  the  origin  of  occupative  names  is  not 
always  easily  guessed. 

1  Glossarium  ad  Scriptores  medics  et  infimeB  Latinitatis. 


12 


CHAPTER    XVII 

THE    CANTERBURY    PILGRIMS 

"  In  Southwerk  at  the  Tabard  as  I  lay, 
Redy  to  wenden  on  my  pilgrimage, 
To  Caunterbury  with  ful  devout  corage. 
At  nyght  were  come  into  that  hostelrye 
Wei  nyne  and  twenty  in  a  compaignye 
Of  sondry  folk,  by  aventure  y-falle 
In  felaweshipe,  and  pilgrimes  were  they  alle. 
That  toward  Caunterbury  wolden  ryde." 

{Prologue,  1.  20.) 

This  famous  band  of  wayfarers  includes  representatives 
of  all  classes,  save  the  highest  and  the  lowest,  just  at 
the  period  when  our  surnames  were  becoming  fixed. 
It  seems  natural  to  distinguish  the  following  groups. 
The  leisured  class  is  represented  by  the  Knight  (p.  145) 
and  his  son  the  Squire,  also  found  as  Swire  or  Swyer, 
Old  Fr.  escuyer  {ecuyer),  a  shield-bearer  (Lat.  scutum), 
with  their  attendant  Yeoman,  a  name  that  originally 
meant  a  small  landowner  and  later  a  trusted  attendant 
of  the  warlike  kind — 

"  And  in  his  hand  he  baar  a  myghty  bowe." 

(A,   loS.) 

With  these  goes  the  Franklin  (p.  145),  who  had  been 
Sherriff,  i.e.  shire-reeve.  He  is  also  described  as  a 
Vavasour    (p.   11) — 

"  Was  nowher  such  a  worthy  vavasour  "  (A,  360.) 

The  professions  are  represented  by  the  Nunn,  her  atten- 

162 


THE    CANTERBURY    PILGRIMS  163 

dant  priests,  whence  the  names  Press,  Prest,  the  Monk, 
the  Frere,  or  Fryer,  "  a  wantowne  and  a  merye,"  the 
Clark  of  Oxenforde,  the  Sargent  of  the  lawe,  the  Sum- 
ner, i.e.  summoner  or  apparitor,  the  doctor  of  physic, 
i.e.  the  Leech  or  Leach — 

"  Make  war  breed  peace  ;    make  peace  stint  war  ;    make  each 
Prescribe  to  other,  as  each  other's  leech  "  ^ 

{Timon  of  Athens,  v.  4) — 

and  the  poor  parson.  Le  surgien  and  le  fisicien  were 
once  common  surnames,  but  the  former  has  been 
swallowed  up  by  Sargent,  and  the  latter  seems  to  have 
died  out.  The  name  Leach  has  been  reinforced  by  the 
dialect  lache,  a  bog,  whence  also  the  compounds  Black- 
leach,  Depledge.  Loosely  attached  to  the  church  is  the 
pardoner,  with  his  wallet — 

"  Bret-ful  of  pardon,  comen  from  Rome  al  hoot." 

(A,  687.) 

But  he  has  not  left  us  a  surname,  for  the  fairl}^  common 
Pardon,  of  French  origin,  is  a  dim.  of  Pardolf. 

Commerce  is  represented  by  the  Marchant,  depicted 
as  a  character  of  weight  and  dignity,  and  the  humbler 
trades  and  crafts  by — 

"  An  haberdasher,  and  a  Carpenter, 
A  Webhe,  a  deyer  {Dyer),  and  a  tapiser." 

(A,   361.) 

To  these  may  be  added  the  Wife  of  Bath,  whose  com- 
fortable means  were  drawn  from  the  cloth  trade,  then 
our  staple  industry. 

From  rural  surroundings  come  the  Miller  and  the 
Plowman,  as  kindly  a  man  as  the  poor  parson  his 
brother,  for — 

1  The  same  word  as  the  worm  leech,  from  an  Anglo-Saxon  word 
for  healer. 


i64  THE  CANTERBURY   PILGRIMS 

"  He  wolde  threshe,  and  therto  dyke  and  delve, 
For  Cristes  sake,  for  every  poure  wight, 
Withouten  hire,  if  it  lay  in  his  myght." 

(A,   536.) 

The  Miller  is  the  same  as  the  Meller  or  Mellor — 

"Upon  the  whiche  brook  ther  stant  a  melle  ^ ; 
And  this  is  verray  sooth,  that  I  yow  tell." 

(A,   3923.) 

The  oldest  form  of  the  name  is  Milner,  Anglo-Sax. 
myln,  Lat.  molina  ;  cf.  Kihier  from  kiln,  Lat.  culina, 
kitchen. 

The  official  or  servile  class  includes  the  manciple, 
or  buyer  for  a  fraternity  of  templars,  otherwise  called 
an  achatour,  whence  Caior,  Chaytor,  Chatcr  ^  (p.  33), 
the  Reeve,  an  estate  steward,  so  crafty  that — 

"  Ther  nas  baillif  (p.  45),  ne  herde  (p.  32),  nor  oother  hyne  (p.  35), 
That  he  ne  knew  his  sleighte  and  his  covyne  ' ' 

(A,  603)  ; 

and  finally  the  Cook,  or  Coke  (p.  12) — 

"  To  boylle  the  chicknes  and  the  marybones." 

(A,   380.) 

In  a  class  by  himself  stands  the  grimmest  figure  of 
all,  the  Shipman,  of  whom  we  are  told — 

"  If  that  he  faught,  and  hadde  the  hyer  hond. 
By  water  he  sente  hem  hoom  to  every  lond." 

(A,   399-) 

The  same  occupation  has  given  the  name  Marner, 
for  mariner,  and  Seaman,  but  the  medieval  forms  of 
the  rare  name  Saylor  show  that  it  is  from  Fr.  saillcur, 

1  A  Kentish  form,  used  by  Chaucer  for  the  rime  ;  cf .  pet  for 
pit  (p.  127). 

2  These  may  be  also  from  escheatour,  an  ofFicial  who  has  given 
us  the  word  cheat. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    NAMES  165 

a  dancer,  an  artist  who  also  survives  as  Hopper  and 
Leaper — 

"  To  one  that  leped  at  Chestre,  6s.  ?>d." 

{Privy  Purse  Expenses  of  Henry  VII}  1495.) 

The  pilgrims  were  accompanied  by  the  host  of  the 
Tabard  Inn,  whose  occupation  has  given  us  the  names 
Inman  and  Hostler,  Oastler,  Old  Fr.  hosteller  {hotelier), 
now  applied  to  the  inn  servant  who  looks  after  the 
'osses.  Another  form  is  the  modern-looking  Hustler. 
Distinct  from  these  is  Osier,  Fr.  oiseleur,  a  bird-catcher  ; 
cf.  Burder  and  Fowler. 

If  we  deal  here  with  ecclesiastical  names,  as  being 
really  nicknames  (p.  147),  that  will  leave  the  trader 
and  craftsman,  the  peasant,  and  the  official  or  servile 
class  to  be  treated  in  separate  chapters.  Social,  as 
distinguished  from  occupative,  surnames  have  already 
been  touched  on,  and  the  names,  not  very  numerous, 
connected  with  warfare  have  also  been  mentioned  in 
various  connections. 

Among  ecclesiastical  names  Monk  has  the  largest 
number  of  variants.  Its  Anglo-French  form  is  some- 
times represented  by  Munn  and  Moon,  while  Money 
is  the  oldest  Fr.  monie ;  cf .  Vicary  from  Old  Fr.  vicarie. 
But  the  French  names  La  Monnaie,  de  la  Monnaie,  are 
local,  from  residence  near  the  mint.  The  canon  ap- 
pears as  Cannon,  Channen,  and  Shannon,  Fr.  chanoine — 

"  With  this  chanoun  I  dwelt  have  seven  yere  " 

(G,  720); 

but  Dean'is  generally  local  (p.  112)  20116.  Deacon  is  often 
an  imitative  form  of  Dakin   or  Deakin,   from  David 

1  He  was  usually  more  generous  to  the  high  arts,  e.g.  "  To  a 
Spaynarde  that  pleyed  the  fole,  £2,"  "  To  the  young  damoysell 
that  daunceth,  £30."  With  which  cf.  "  To  Carter  for  writing  of  a 
boke,  7s.  4d." 


i66  THE  CANTERBURY   PILGRIMS 

(p.  57).  Charter  was  used  of  a  monk  of  the  Charter- 
house, a  popular  corruption  of  Chartreuse — 

"  With  a  company  dyde  I  mete, 
As  ermytes,  monkes,  and  freres, 
Chanons,  chartores  .  .  ." 

{Cock  Lovelies  Bote.) 

Charter  also  comes  from  archaic  Fr.  chartier  {char- 
retier),  a  carter,  and  perhaps  sometimes  from  Old 
Fr.  chartrier,  "a  jaylor  ;  also,  a  prisoner^"  (Cotg.), 
which  belongs  to  Lat.  career,  prison.  Charters  may 
be  from  the  French  town  Chartres,  but  is  more 
likely  a  perversion  of  Charterhouse,  as  Childers  is  of 
the  obsolete  childer-house,  orphanage. 

Among  lower  orders  of  the  church  we  have  Lister,* 
a  reader,  Bemiet,  an  exorcist,  and  Collet,  aphetic  for 
acolyte.  But  each  of  these  is  susceptible  of  another 
origin  which  is  generally  to  be  preferred.  Chaplin 
is  of  course  for  chaplain,  Fr.  chapelain.  The  legate 
appears  as  Leggatt.  Crosier  or  Crozier  means  cross- 
bearer.  At  the  funeral  of  Anne  of  Cleves  (1557)  the 
mass  was  executed — 

"  By  thabbott  in  pontificalibus  wthis  croysyer,  deacon  and 
subdeacon." 

The  name  may  sometimes  have  arisen  through  the 
crosier,  or  bishop's  staff,  being  used  as  a  shop-sign 
(p.  135).  Canter,  Caunter  is  for  chanter,  and  has  an 
apparent  dim.  Cantrell,  but  this  name  may  be  from 
Old  Fr.  chanterel,  chant-book,  and  have  been  acquired 
in  the  same  way  as  Porteous  (p.  136).  Sanger  and  Sang- 
ster  were  not  ecclesiastical  Singers.  Converse  meant 
a  lay-brother  employed  as  a  drudge  in  a  monastery. 
Sacristan,  the  man  in  charge  of  the  sacristy,  from  which 

^  The  sense  development  of  these  two  words  is  curious. 
2  Found  in  Late  Latin  as  legista,  from  Lat.  legere,  to  read. 


PILGRIMS  167 

we  have  Secretan,  is  contracted  into  Saxton  and  Sexton, 
a  name  now  usually  associated  with  grave-digging  and 
bell-ringing,  though  the  latter  task  once  belonged  to 
the  Knowley — 

"  CarilloneuY ,  a  chymer,  or  knowley  of  bells  "  (Cotgrave). 

It  is  of  course  connected  with  knell,  though  the  only 
Kneller  who  has  become  famous  was  a  German  named 
Kniller. 

Marillier,  probably  a  Huguenot  name,  is  an  Old  Fr. 
form  of  margnillier,  a  churchwarden,  Lat.  mafrictt- 
larius.  The  hermit  seems  to  have  survived  only  in 
the  Huguenot  Lermitte  {I'hermite),  though  the  name 
of  his  dwelling  is  common  (p.  130)  ;  but  Anker,  now 
anchorite,  is  still  found.    Fals-Semblant  says — 

"  Somtyme  I  am  religious. 
Now  lyk  an  anker  in  an  hous." 

{Romaiint  of  the  Rose,  6348.) 

While  a  Pilgrim  acquired  his  name  by  a  journey  to 
any  shrine,  a  Palmer  must  originally  have  been  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  a  Romer  to  Rome.  But  the  frequent 
occurrence  of  Palmer  suggests  that  it  was  often  a 
nickname  for  a  pious  fraud.  We  have  a  doublet  of 
Pilgrim  in  Pegram,  though  this  may  come  from  the 
name  Peregrine,  the  etymology  being  the  same,  viz. 
Lat.  peregrinus,  a  foreigner. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

TRADES   AND    CRAFTS 

"What    d'ye    lack,    noble    sir? — What    d'ye    lack,     beauteous 
madam  ?  "   {Fortunes  of  Nigel,  ch.  i.) 

In  the  Middle  Ages  there  was  no  great  class  of  retail 
dealers  distinct  from  the  craftsmen  who  fashioned 
objects.  The  same  man  made  and  sold  in  almost  every 
case.  There  were  of  course  general  dealers,  such  as 
the  French  Marchant  or  his  Enghsh  equivalent  the 
Chapman  (p.  23),  the  Dutch  form  of  which  has  given 
us  the  Norfolk  name  Copeman.  The  Broker  is  now 
generally  absorbed  by  the  local  Brooker.  There  were 
also  the  itinerant  merchants,  of  whom  more  anon ; 
but  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  craftsman 
made  and  sold  one  article,  and  was,  in  fact,  strictly 
forbidden  to  wander  outside  his  special  line. 
Fuller  tells  us  that — 

"  England  were  but  a  fling. 
Save  for  the  crooked  stick  and  the  gray-goose-wing," 

and  the  importance  of  the  bow  and  arrow  is  shown  by 
the  number  of  surnames  connected  with  their  manu- 
facture. We  find  the  Bowyer,^  Bower  or  Bowmaker, 
who  trimmed  and  shaped  the  wand  of  yew,  the  Fletcher 

1  This  is  also  one  source  of  Boyer,  but  the  very  common  French 
surname  Boyer  means  ox-herd. 

168 


ARCHERY  169 

(p.  150),  Arrowsmith,  or  Flower,  who  prepared  the 
arrow — 

"His  bowe  he  bente  and  sette  therinne  a  flo''-"  (H,  264) — 

and  the  Tipper,  Stringer,  and  Horner,  who  attended 
to  smaller  details,  though  the  Tipper  and  Stringer 
probably  tipped  and  strung  other  things,  and  the  Horner, 
though  he  made  the  horn  nocks  of  the  long-bow,  also 
made  horn  cups  and  other  objects.  The  extent  to 
which  specialization  was  carried  is  shown  by  the  trade 
description  of  John  Darke,  longbowstringemaker ,  who 
died  in  1600.  The  Arblaster  may  have  either  made 
or  used  the  arblast  or  cross-bow,  medieval  Lat.  arcu- 
balista,  bow-shng.  His  name  has  given  the  imitative 
Alabaster.  We  also  find  the  shortened  Ballister  and 
Balestier,  from  which  we  have  Bannister  (p.  36).  Or, 
to  take  an  example  from  comestibles,  a  Planner 
hmited  his  activity  to  the  making  of  flat  cakes 
called  flans  or  flawns,  from  Old  Fr.  flaon  [flan),  a  word 
of  Germanic  origin,  ultimately  related  to  flat — 

"  He  that  is  hanged  in  May  will  eat  no  flaunes  in  Midsummer." 

{The  Abbot,  ch.  xxxiii.) 

Some  names  have  become  strangely  restricted  in 
meaning,  e.g.  Mercer,  now  almost  limited  to  silk,  was 
a  name  for  a  dealer  in  any  kind  of  merchandise  (Lat. 
merx) ;  in  Old  French  it  meant  pedlar — 

"  Mercier,  a  good  pedler,  or  meane  haberdasher  of  small 
wares  "   (Cotgrave). 

On  the  other  hand  Chandler,  properly  a  candle-maker, 
is  now  used  in  the  compounds  corn-chandler  and 
ship's  chandler.     Of  all  the  -mongers  the  only  common 

^  The  true  English  word  for  arrow,  Anglo-Sax.  fla. 


170  TRADES  AND  CRAFTS 

survival  is  Ironmonger  or  Iremonger,  with  the  variant 
Isemonger,  from  Mid.  Eng.  isen,  iron. 

The  wool  trade  occupied  a  very  large  number  of 
workers  and  has  given  a  good  many  surnames,  includ- 
ing Laner,  Fr.  laine,  wool.  The  Shearer  was  distinct 
from  the  Shearman  or  Sherman,  the  former  operating 
on  the  sheep  and  the  latter  on  the  nap  of  the  cloth. 
For  Comber  we  also  have  the  older  Kempster,  and  pro- 
bably Kimber,  from  the  Mid.  Eng.  kcmben,  to  comb, 
which  survives  in  "  unkempt. "  The  Walker,  Fuller,  and 
Tucker  all  did  very  much  the  same  work  of  trampling 
the  cloth.  All  three  words  are  used  in  WycHf 's  Bible 
in  variant  renderings  of  Mark  ix.  3.  Fuller  is  from 
Fr.  fouler,  to  trample,  and  Tucker  from  toquer,  to 
strike,  related  to  "  touch."  Fuller  is  found  in  the  south 
and  south-east,  Tucker  in  the  west,  and  Walker  in  the 
north.  A  Dyer  was  also  called  Dyter,  Dyster,  and  the 
same  trade  is  the  origin  of  the  Latin-looking  Dexter 
(p.  18).  From  Mid.  Eng.  Ulster,  a  dyer,  a  word  of 
Scandinavian  origin,  comes  Lister,  as  in  Lister  Gate, 
Nottingham.  With  these  goes  the  Wadman,  who  dealt 
in,  or  grew,  the  dye-plant  called  woad  ;  cf .  Flaxman. 
A  beater  of  flax  was  called  Swingler — 

"  Fleyl,  swyngyl,  verga,  tribulum  "  {Prompt.  Paw.). 

A  Tozer  teased  the  cloth  with  a  teasel.  In  Mid.  English 
the  verb  is  tcesen  or  tosen,  so  that  the  names  Teaser  and 
Towser,  sometimes  given  to  bull-terriers,  are  doublets. 
Seeker  means  sack-maker. 

We  have  already  noticed  the  predominance  of 
Taylor.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  when  we  con- 
sider that  the  name  has  as  rivals  the  native  Seamer 
and  Shapster  and  the  imported  Parmenter,  Old  Fr. 
parmentier,  a  maker  of  parements,    now  used   chiefly 


CLOTHIERS 


171 


of  facings  on  clothes.  But  another,  and  more  usual, 
origin  of  Parmenter,  Parminter,  Parmiter,  is  parch- 
menter,  a  very  important  medieval  trade.  The  word 
would  correspond  to  a  Lat.  pergamentarius,  which  has 
given  also  the  German  surname  Berminter.  Several  old 
German  cities  had  a  Permentergasse,  i.e.  parchment- 
makers'  street.  A  Pilcher  made  pilches,  i.e.  fur  cloaks, 
an  early  loan-word  from  Vulgar  Lat.  pellicia  (pellis, 
skin).     Chaucer's  version  of — 

"  Till  May  is  out,  ne'er  cast  a  clout  " 

is — 

"After  greet  heet  cometh  colde  ; 
No  man  caste  his  pilche  away." 

Another  name  connected  with  clothes  is  Chaucer,  Old 
Fr.  chaussier,  a  hosier  (Lat.  calceus,  boot),  while  Admiiral 
Hozier's  Ghost  reminds  us  of  the  native  word.  The 
oldest  meaning  of  hose  seems  to  have  been  gaiters.  It 
ascended  in  Tudor  times  to  the  dignity  of  breeches 
(cf.  trunk-hose),  the  meaning  it  has  in  modern  German. 
Now  it  has  become  a  tradesman's  euphemism  for  the 
improper  word  stocking,  a  fact  which  led  a  friend  of 
the  writer's,  imperfectly  acquainted  with  German,  to 
ask  a  gifted  lady  of  that  nationahty  if  she  were  a 
Blaiihose.  A  Quiller  quilled,  i.e.  gophered,  ruffs. 
A  Chaloner  or  Chawner  dealt  in  shalloon.  Mid.  Eng. 
chalons,  a  material  made  at  Chalons-sur-Marne — 

"  And  in  his  owene  chambre  hem  made  a  bed, 
With  sheetes  and  with  chalons  faire  y-spred." 

(A,  4139-) 

Ganter  or  Gaunter  is  Fr.  gantier,  glove-maker. 

Some  metal-workers  have  already  been  mentioned 
in  connection  with  Smith  (p.  44),  and  elsewhere.  The 
French  Fevre  is  found  as  Feaver.  Fearon  comes  from 
Old  Fr.   feron,  smith,  from  ferir,   to  smite.     Face  le 


172  TRADES  AND  CRAFTS 

ferrun,  i.e.  Boniface  (p.  34)  the  smith,  Hved  in  North- 
ampton in  the  twelfth  century.  This  is  an  example  of 
the  French  use  of  -on  as  an  agential  sufhx.  Another 
example  is  Old  Fr.  charton,  or  charreton,  a  waggoner, 
from  the  Norman  form  of  which  we  have  Carton.  In 
Scriven,  from  Old  Fr.  escrivain  {ecrivain),  we  have  an 
isolated  agential  suffix.  The  English  form  is  usually 
lengthened  to  Scrivener.  In  Ferricr,  for  farrier,  the 
traditional  spelling  has  prevailed  over  the  pronuncia- 
tion, but  we  have  the  latter  in  Farrar.  These  names 
(Lat,  ferrum,  iron)  are  not  related  to  Fear  on  (Lat,  ferire, 
to  strike).  Aguilar  means  needle-maker,  Fr.  aiguille, 
but  Pinner  is  more  often  official  (p.  181).  Cutler,  Fr. 
coutelier,  Old  Fr.  coutel,  knife,  and  Spooner  go  together, 
but  the  fork  is  a  modern  fad.  Poynter  is  another  good 
example  of  the  specialization  of  medieval  crafts  : 
the  points  were  the  metal  tags  by  which  the  doublet 
and  hose  were  connected.  Hence  the  play  on  words 
when  Falstaff  is  recounting  his  adventure  with  the 
men  in  buckram — 

Fal.         "  Their  points  being  broken -" 

Poins.     "  Down  fell  their  hose." 

(i   Henry  IV.,  ii,  4.) 

Latimer,  Latner  sometimes  means  a  worker  in  latten, 
a  mixed  metal  of  which  the  etymological  origin  is  un- 
known.    The   Pardoner — 

"  Hadde  a  croys  of  latoim  ful  of  stones  "  (A,  699). 

For  the  change  from  -n  to  -m  we  may  compare  Lorimer 
for  Loriner,  a  bridle-maker,  belonging  ultimately  to 
Lat.  lorum,  "  the  reyne  of  a  brydle  "  (Cooper).  But 
Latimer  comes  also  from  Latiner,  a  man  skilled  in  Latin, 
hence  an  interpreter.  Sir  John  Mandeville  tells  us 
that,  on  the  way  to  Sinai— 

"  Men  alleweys  fynden  Latyneres  to  go  with  hem  in  the  contrees," 


METAL   WORKERS  173 

The  immortal  Bawdier  is  usually  said  to  take  his 
name  from  the  art  of  puddling,  or  huddling,  iron  ore. 
But,  as  this  process  is  comparatively  modern,  it  is  more 
Hkely  that  the  name  comes  from  the  same  verb  in  its 
older  meaning  of  making  impervious  to  water  by  means 
of  clay.  Monicr  and  Minter  are  both  connected  with 
coining,  the  former  through  French  and  the  latter  from 
Anglo-Saxon,  both  going  back  to  Lat.  moneta,^  mint. 
Conner,  i.e.  coiner,  is  now  generally  swallowed  up  by 
the  Irish  Connor.  Leadhitter  is  for  Leadheater.  The 
name  Hamper  is  a  contraction  of  hanapicr,  a  maker  of 
hanaps,  i.e.  goblets.  Fr.  hanap  is  from  Old  High  Ger. 
hnapf  {Napi),  and  shows  the  inability  of  French  to 
pronounce  initial  hn-  without  inserting  a  vowel  :  cf. 
harangue  from  Old  High  Ger.  hring.  There  is  also  a 
Mid.  Eng.  nap,  cup,  representing  the  cognate  Anglo- 
Sax,  hncep,  so  that  the  name  Napper  may  sometimes 
be  a  doublet  of  Hamper,  though  it  is  more  probably 
for  Napier  (p.  6)  or  Knapper  (p.  107).  The  common 
noun  hamper  is  from  hanapier  in  a  sense  something  like 
plate-basket.  With  metal-w^orkers  we  may  also  put 
Poyser,  scale-maker  (poise),  and  Fiirber  or  Frobisher, 
i.e.  furbisher  of  armour,  etc.  Two  occupative  names 
of  Celtic  origin  are  Gow,  a  smith,  as  in  The  Fair  Maid 
of  Perth,  and  Caird,  a  tinker — 

"  The  fellow  had  been  originally  a  tinker  or  caird." 

[Heart  of  Midlothian,  ch.  xlix.) 

A  few  more  names,  which  fall  into  no  particular 
category,  may  conclude  the  chapter.  Hillyer  or 
Hellier  is  an  old  name  for  a  Thacker,  or  thatcher,  of 
which  we  have  the  Dutch  form  in  Dekker.  It  comes 
from  Mid.  Eng.  helen,  to  cover  up.     In  Hillard,  Hill- 

1  On  the  curiously  accidental  history  of  this  word  see  the  Ro- 
mance of  Words,  ch.  x. 


174  TRADES  AND  CRAFTS 

yard  we  sometimes  have  the  same  name  (cf.  the  vulgar 
scholard),  but  these  are  usually  local  (p.  124).  Hellier 
also  meant  tiler,  for  the  famous  Wat  is  described 
as  tiler,  tegheler,  and  hellier.  An  Ashburner  prepared 
wood-ash  for  the  Bloomer  (p.  153),  and  perhaps  also  for 
the  Glaisher,  or  glass-maker,  d^ndAsher  is  best  explained 
in  the  same  way,  for  we  do  not,  I  think,  add  -er 
to  tree-names.  Apparent  exceptions  can  be  easily 
accounted  for,  e.g.  Elmer  is  Anglo-Sax.  iElfmaer,  and 
Beecher  is  Anglo-Fr.  bechur,  digger  (Fr.  beche,  spade). 
Neither  Pitman  nor  Collier  have  their  modern  meaning 
of  coal-miner.  Pitman  is  local,  of  the  same  class  as 
Bridgeman,  Pullman,  etc.,  and  Collier  meant  a  charcoal- 
burner,  as  in  the  famous  ballad  of  Rauf  Colyear.  Not 
much  coal  was  dug  in  the  Middle  Ages.  Even  in  1610 
Camden  speaks  with  disapproval,  in  his  Britannia,  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Sherwood  Forest  who,  with  plenty 
of  wood  around  them,  persist  in  digging  up  "  stinking 
pit-cole." 

Croker  is  for  Crocker,  a  maker  of  crocks  or  pitchers. 
The  Miller's  guests  only  retired  to  bed — 

"Whan  that  dronken  al  was  in  the  crowke  "   (A,  4158). 

The  spelling  has  affected  the  pronunciation,  as  in 
Sloper  and  Smoker  (p.  41).  A  Benner  made  hampers, 
Fr.  benne.  Tinker  is  sometimes  found  as  the  fre- 
quentative Tinkler,  the  man  whose  approach  is 
heralded  by  the  clatter  of  metal  utensils — 

"My  bonny  lass,  I  work  on  brass, 
A  tinkler  is  my  station." 

(Burns,  Jolly  Beggars,  Air  6.) 

The  maker  of  saddle-trees  was  called  Fewster,  from 
Old  Fr.    f2ist  [jut),    Lat.    fustis.     This  has  sometimes 


SURNOMINAL    SNOBBISHNESS  175 

given  Foster,  but  the  latter  is  more  often  for  Forster, 
i.e.  Forester — 

"An  horn  he  bar,  the  bawdryk  was  of  grene, 
A  f oyster  was  he  soothly  as  I  gesse." 

(A,   116.) 

The  saddler  himself  was  often  called  by  his  French 
name  sellier,  whence  Sellar,  but  both  this  and  Sellars 
are  also  local,  at  the  cellars  (p.  29).  Pargeter  means 
dauber,  plasterer,  from  Old  Fr.  parjeter,  to  throw  over. 
A  Straker  made  the  strakes,  or  tires,  of  wheels.  A 
Stanger  made  stangs,  i.e.  poles,  shafts,  etc. 

Finally  the  fine  arts  are  represented  by  Limmer, 
for  limner,  a  painter,  an  aphetic  form  of  illuminer,  and 
Tickner,  a  Dutch  name,  from  tekener,  draughtsman, 
cognate  with  Eng.  token,  while  the  art  of  self-defence 
has  given  us  the  name  Scrimgeoure,  with  a  number  of 
corruptions,  including  the  local-looking  Skrimshire. 
It  is  related  to  scrimmage  and  skirmish,  and  ulti- 
mately to  Gr.  schirmen,  to  fence,  lit.  to  protect.  The 
name  was  applied  to   a  professional  sword-player — 

"  Qe  nul  teigne  escole  de  eshermerye  ne  de  bokeler  deins  la  citee." 

{Liber  Albus.) 

A  particularly  idiotic  form  of  snobbishness  has 
sometimes  led  people  to  advance  strange  theories  as 
to  the  origin  of  their  names.  Thus  Turner  has  been 
explained  as  from  la  tour  noire.  Dr.  Brewer,  in  his 
Dictionary  of  Phrase  and  Fable,^  apparently  desirous  of 
dissociating  himself  from  malt  liquor,  observes  that — 

"  Very  few  ancient  names  are  the  names  of  trades.  ...  A  few 
examples  of  a  more  scientific  derivation  will  suffice  for  a  hint : — 

Brewer.  This  name,  which  exists  in  France  as  Bruhiere  and 
Brugere,  is  not  derived  from  the  Saxon  briwan  (to  brew),  but  the 
French  bruySre  (heath),  and  is  about  tantamount  to  the  German 

1  Thirteenth  edition,  revised  and  corrected. 


176  TRADES  AND  CRAFTS 

Plantagenet  (broom  plant).  Miller  is  the  old  Norse  melia,  oar  mill 
and  maul,  and  means  a  mauler  or  fighter. 

Ringer  is  the  Anglo-Saxon  hriiig-gar  (the  mailed  warrior). 

Tanner,  German  Thanger,  Old  German  Dane-gaud,  is  the  Dane- 
Goth. 

This  list  might  easily  be  extended." 

There  is  of  course  no  reason  why  such  a  Ust  should 
not  be  indefinitely  extended,  but  it  is  already  quite 
long  enough  to  make  the  reader  feel  dizzy.  The  fact  is 
that  there  is  no  getting  away  from  a  surname  of  this 
class,  and  the  bearer  must  try  to  look  on  the 
brighter  side  of  the  tragedy.  Brewer  is  occasionally 
an  accommodated  form  of  the  French  name  Bruyere  or 
Labruyere,  but  is  usually  derived  from  an  occupation 
which  is  the  high-road  to  the  House  of  Lords.  The 
ancestor  of  any  modern  Barber  may,  hke  Salvation 
Yeo's  father,  have  "  exercised  the  mystery  of  a  barber- 
surgeon,"  which  is  getting  near  the  learned  professions. 
A  Pottinger  (see  p.  155)  looked  after  the  soups,  Fr. 
potage,  as  a  Saucer  did  after  the  sauces,  but  the  name 
also  represents  Pothecary  (apothecary),  which  gave  in 
early  Scottish  the  aphetic  forms  poticar,  potigar — 

"  '  Pardon  me,'  said  he,  '  I  am  but  a  poor  poitingar.  Neverthe- 
less, I  have  been  bred  in  Paris  and  learnt  my  humanities  and  my 
cursus  medendi '  "  (Fair  Maid  of  Perth,  ch.  vii.). 


CHAPTER    XIX 

HODGE    AND    HIS   FRIENDS 

"  Jacque,  il  me  faut  troubler  ton  somme  ; 
Dans  le  village,  un  gros  huissier 
Rode  et  court,  suivi  du  messier. 
C'est  pour  I'impot,  las !  mon  pauvre  homme. 
Leve-toi,  Jacque,  leve-toi : 
Voici  venir  1' huissier  du  roi." 

Beranger. 

General  terms  for  what  we  now  usually  call  a  farmer 
are  preserved  in  the  surnames  Bond  (p.  146),  whence  the 
compound  Hiishand,  used  both  for  the  goodman  of 
the  house  and  in  the  modern  sense,  and  Tillman. 
The  labouring  man  was  Day,  from  the  same  root  as 
Ger.  dienen,  to  serve.  It  persists  in  "  dairy  "  and  in  the 
compound  Faraday,  a  travelling,  or  wayfaring,  labourer. 
A  similar  meaning  is  contained  in  the  names  Swain, 
Hind,  for  earlier  Hine  (p.  z^),  Tasker,  Wager,  and 
Man.  The  mower  has  given-  us  the  names  Mather  (cf. 
Siiteimath),  and  Mawer,  the  latter  usually  swallowed 
up  by  Moore,  while  Fenner  is  sometimes  for  Old 
Fr.  feneur,  haymaker  (Lat.  fcenum,  hay).  For  mower 
we  also  find  the  latinized  messor,  whence  Messer. 
Whether  the  Ridler  ^  and  the  Sivier  made,  or  used, 
riddles  and  sieves  can  hardly  be  decided.     With  the 

1  Riddle  is  the  usual  word  for  sieve  in  the  Midlands.     Hence  the 
phrase  "  riddled  with  holes,  or  wounds." 
13  177 


178  HODGE  AND   HIS  FRIENDS 

Wenman,  who  drove  the  wain,  we  may  mention  the 
Leader  or  Loader.  The  verbs  to  lead  and  to  load  are 
etymologically  the  same,  and  in  the  I\Iidlands  people 
taik  of  leading,  i.e.  carting,  coal.  But  these  names 
could  also  come  from  residence  near  an  artificial  water- 
course (p.  129).  Beecher  has  already  been  explained 
(p.  174),  and  Showier  is  formed  in  the  same  way  from 
dialect  showl,  a  shovel — 

"  '  I,'  said  the  owl, 
'  With  my  spade  and  showl.'  " 

To  the  variants  of  the  Miller  (p.  225)  may  be  added 
Mulliner,  from  Old  French.  Tedder  means  a  man  who 
teds,  i.e.  spreads,  hay,  the  origin  of  the  word  being 
Scandinavian — 

"  I  tcede  hey,  I  tourne  it  afore  it  is  made  in  cockes,  je  fenc." 

(Palsgrave.) 

But  the  greater  number  of  surnames  drawn  from 
rural  occupations  are  connected  with  the  care  of 
animals.  We  find  names  of  this  class  in  three  forms, 
exemplified  by  Coltnian,  Goater,  Shepherd,  and  it  seems 
hkely  that  the  endings  -er  and  -erd  have  sometimes 
been  interchanged,  e.g.  that  Goater  may  stand  for 
goat-herd,  Calver  for  calf-herd,  and  Nutter  for  northern 
nowt-herd,  representing  the  otherwise  absent  neat- 
herd. The  compounds  of  herd  include  Bullard,  Cal- 
vert, Coltard,  Coward,  for  cow-herd,  not  of  course 
to  be  confused  with  the  common  noun  coward,  Fr. 
coiiard,  a  derivative  of  Lat.  caiida,  tail,  Ewart,  ewe- 
herd,  but  also  a  Norman  spelling  of  Edward,  Geldard, 
Goddard,  sometimes  for  goat-herd,  Hoggart,  often  con- 
fused with  the  local  Hogarth  (p.  124),  Seward,  for  sow- 
herd,  or  for  the  historic  Siward,  Stobart,  dialect  stob,  a 


BUMBLEDOM  179 

bull,  Stodart,  Mid.  Eng.  stot,  meaning  both  a  bullock 
and  a  nag.      Chaucer  tells  us  that — 

"  This  reve  sat  upon  a  ful  good  stot"  (A,  615). 

Stoddart  is  naturally  confused  with  Studdart,  stud- 
herd,  stud  being  cognate  with  Ger.  SkUe,  mare.  We 
also  have  Swhmert,  and  lastly  Weatherhead,  sometimes 
a  perversion  of  wether-herd,  though  usually  a 
nickname,  sheep's  head.  The  man  in  charge  of  the 
tups,  or  rams,  was  called  Tupman  or  Tnpper,  the 
latter  standing  sometimes  for  tup-herd,  just  as  we 
have  the  imitative  Stutter  for  Stodart  or  Studdart. 
We  have  also  Tripper  from  trip,  a  dialect  word  for 
flock,  probably  related  to  troop.  Another  general 
term  for  a  herdsman  was  Looker,  whence  Luker. 

I  have  headed  this  chapter  "  Hodge  and  his  Friends," 
but  as  a  matter  of  strict  truth  he  had  none,  except  the 
"  poure  Persone,"  the  most  radiant  figure  in  Chaucer's 
pageant.  But  his  enemies  were  innumerable.  Be- 
ranger's  hnes  impress  one  less  than  the  uncouth 
"Song  of  the  Husbandman"  (temp.  Edward  I.), 
in  which  we  find  the  woes  of  poor  Hodge  incorporated 
in  the  persons  of  the  hayward,  the  bailif,  the  wodeward, 
the  hudel  and  his  cachereles  (catchpoles) — 

"  For  ever  the  furthe  peni  mot  (must)  to  the  kynge." 

The  bailift  has  already  been  mentioned  (p.  45).  The 
budel,  or  beadle,  has  given  us  several  surnames.  We 
have  the  word  in  two  forms,  from  Anglo-Sax.  bytel, 
belonging  to  the  verb  to  bid,  whence  the  names  Biddle 
and  Buddie,  and  from  Old  Fr.  bedel  {bedeau),  whence 
Beadle  and  its  variants.  The  animal  is  probably 
extinct  under  his  original  name,  but  modem  democracy 
is  doing  its   best   to   provide  him  with  an  army  of 


i8o  HODGE  AND   HIS   FRIENDS 

successors.  We  find  le  cacherel  strangely  perverted  into 
le  cathercl,  whence  Catherall,  Cattrall. 

Names  in  -ward  are  rather  numerous,  and,  as  they 
mostly  come  from  the  titles  of  rural  officials  and  are 
often  confused  with  compounds  of  -herd,  they  are 
all  put  together  here.  The  simple  Ward,  cognate 
with  Fr.  garde,  is  one  of  our  commonest  surnames. 
Like  its  derivative  Warden  it  had  a  very  wide 
range  of  meanings.  The  antiquity  of  the  office  of 
church-warden  is  shown  by  the  existence  of  the  sur- 
name Churchward.  Sometimes  the  surname  comes 
from  the  abstract  or  local  sense,  de  la  warde.  As 
the  original  -weard  occurs  very  frequently  in  Anglo- 
Saxon  personal  names,  it  is  not  always  possible  to  say 
whether  a  surname  is  essentially  occupative  or  not, 
e.g.  whether  Durward  is  rather  door-ward  or  for  Anglo- 
Sax.  Deorweard.  It  is  certain  that  Howard  is  both 
for  Harward  (Hereward),  later  Haward,  and  for  the 
official  Hayward,  the  latter  source  accounting  for  most 
of  the  Howards  outside  the  ducal  family. 

Owing  to  the  loss  of  w-  in  the  second  part  of  a  word 
(see  p.  39),  -ward  and  -herd  often  fall  together,  e.g. 
Millard  for  Milward,  and  Woodard  found  in  Mid.  Eng. 
as  both  wode-ward  and  wode-hird.  Hayward  belongs  to 
hay,  hedge,  enclosure  (p.  124),  from  which  we  also  get 
Hayman.  The  same  functionary  has  given  the  name 
Hayhittle,  a  compound  of  beadle.  Burward  and  Burrard 
no  doubt  represent  the  once  familiar  office  of  bear- ward; 
cf.  Berman.  I  had  a  schoolfellow  called  Lateward, 
apparently  the  man  in  charge  of  the  lade  or  leet  (p.  129). 
Medward  is  for  mead-ward.  The  name  Stewart  or 
Stuart  became  royal  with  Walter  the  Steward  of  Scot- 
land, who  married  Marjorie  Bruce  in  1315.  It  stands 
for  sty-ward,  where  sty  means  pen,  not  necessarily 


ITINERANT   MERCHANTS  i8i 

limited  to  pigs.  Like  most  official  titles,  it  has  had  its 
ups  and  downs,  with  the  result  that  its  present  meaning 
ranges  from  a  high  officer  of  the  crown  to  the  sympa- 
thetic concomitant  of  a  rough  crossing. 

The  Reeve,  Anglo-Sax.  ge-refa,  was  in  Chaucer  a  kind 
of  land  agent,  but  the  name  was  also  applied  to  local 
officials,  as  in  port-reeve,  shire-reeve.  It  is  the  same 
as  Grieve,  also  originally  official,  but  used  in  Scotland 
of  a  land  steward — 

"  He  has  got  a  ploughman  from  Scotland  who  acts  as  grieve." 

(Scott,  Diary,  1814.) 

This  is  one  source  of  the  names  Graves  and  Greaves. 
The  name  Woodruff  or  Woodroffe  is  too  common  to 
be  referred  to  the  plant  woodruff,  and  the  fact  that  the 
male  and  female  of  a  species  of  sand-piper  are  called 
the  ruff  and  reeve  suggests  that  Woodrw^  may  have 
some  relation  to  wood-reeve.  It  is  at  any  rate  a  curious 
coincidence  that  the  German  name  for  the  plant  is 
Waldmeister,  wood-master.  Another  official  surname 
especially  connected  with  country  life  is  Pinder,  also 
found  as  Pinner,  Pender,  Penner,  Ponder  and  Poynder, 
the  man  in  charge  of  the  pound  or  pinfold  ;  cf.  Parker, 
the  custodian  of  a  park,  of  which  the  Palliser  or 
Pallister  made  the  palings. 

The  itinerant  dealer  was  usually  called  by  a  name 
suggesting  the  pack  which  he  carried.  Thus  Badger, 
Kidder,  Kiddier,  Pedder,  now  pedlar,  are  from  bag,  kid, 
related  to  kit,  and  the  obsolete  ped,  basket ;  cf .  Leaper, 
p.  152.  The  badger,  who  dealt  especially  in  corn,  was 
unpopular  with  the  rural  population,  and  it  is  possible 
that  his  name  was  given  to  the  stealthy  animal  formerly 
called  the  hawson  (p.  8,  n.),  brock  or  gray  (p.  225). 
To  these  may  be  added  Crenier,  Cramer,  a  huckster 


i82  HODGE   AND   HIS   FRIENDS 

with  a  stall  in  the  market,  but  this  surname  is  some- 
times of  modern  introduction,  from  its  German  cognate 
Kramer,  now  generally  used  for  a  grocer.  Packman, 
Pakeman,  and  Paxman  belong  more  probably  to  the 
font-name  Pack  (p.  89),  which  also  appears  in  Paxon, 
Pack's  son,  and  the  local  Paxton. 

The  name  Hawker  does  not  belong  to  this  group. 
Nowadays  a  hawker  is  a  pedlar,  and  it  has  been 
assumed,  without  sufficient  evidence,  that  the  word 
is  of  the  same  origin  as  huckster.  The  Mid.  Eng.  le 
haueker  or  hatikere  (1273)  is  quite  plainly  connected 
with  hawk,  and  the  name  may  have  been  applied 
either  to  a  Falconer,  Faulkner,  or  to  a  dealer  in 
hawks.  As  we  know  that  itinerant  vendors  of  hawks 
travelled  from  castle  to  castle,  it  is  quite  possible 
that  our  modern  hawker  is  an  extended  use  of  the 
same  name.  Nor  is  the  name  Coster  to  be  referred  to 
costermonger,  originally  a  dealer  in  costards,  i.e.  apples. 
It  is  sometimes  for  Mid.  Eng.  costard  (cf.  such  names  as 
Cherry  and  Plumb),  but  also  represents  Port,  da  Costa 
and  Ger.  Koster,  both  of  which  are  found  in  early  lists 
of  Protestant  refugees. 

J  agger,  whence  Jaggard,  was  a  north-country  name 
for  a  man  who  worked  draught-horses  for  hire.  Mr. 
Hardy's  novel  Under  the  Greenwood  Tree  opens  with 
"  the  Tranter's  party."  A  carrier  is  still  a  tranter  in 
Wessex.  In  Medieval  Latin  he  was  called  travetariiis, 
a  word  apparently  connected  with  Lat.  transvehere,  to 
transport. 


CHAPTER    XX 

OFFICIAL   AND    DOMESTIC 

"  Big  fleas  have  little  fleas 
Upon  their  backs  to  bite  'em  ; 
Little  fleas  have  smaller  fleas. 
And  so  ad  i>ifinitui!i." 

Anon. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  official  nomenclature 
largely  reflects  the  simple  housekeeping  of  early  times, 
and  that  many  titles,  now  of  great  dignity,  were  origin- 
ally associated  with  rather  lowly  duties.  We  have 
seen  an  example  in  Stewart.  Another  is  Chamberlain. 
Hence  surnames  drawn  from  this  class  are  susceptible 
of  very  varied  interpretation.  A  Chancellor  was  origin- 
ally a  man  in  charge  of  a  chancel,  or  grating,  Lat. 
cancelli.  In  Mid.  Eng.  it  is  usually  glossed  scriha, 
while  it  is  now  limited  to  very  high  judicial  or  political 
office.  Bailey,  as  we  have  seen  (p.  45),  has  also  a  wide 
range  of  meanings,  the  ground  idea  being  that  of 
care-taker.  Cotgrave  explains  Old  Fr.  mareschal 
{marechal)  as — 

"  A  marshall  of  a  kingdome,  or  of  a  camp  (an  honourable  place) ; 
also,  a  blacksmith  ;  also,  a  farrier,  horse-leech,  or  horse-smith  ; 
also,  a  harbinger,"  ^ 

which  gives  a  considerable  choice  of  origins  to  any 
modern  Marshall  or  Maskell.  Another  very  vague  term 
is  sergeant,  whence  our  Sargent.     Its  oldest  meaning  is 

1  I.e.  a  quartermaster.     See  Romance  of  Words,  ch.  vii. 
1 8-, 


i84  OFFICIAL  AND  DOMESTIC 

servant,  Lat.  scrvicns,  servient-.  Cotgrave  defines 
scrgent  as — 

"  A  sergeant,  officer,  catchpole,  pursuyvant,  apparitor  ;  also  (in 
Old  Fr.)  a  footman,  or  souldier  that  serves  on  foot." 

Probably  catchpole  was  the  commonest  meaning — 

"  Sargeaiintes,  katche  polIys,  and  somners  "  {Cocke  I.orelJes  Bote). 

The  administration  of  justice  occupied  a  horde  of 
officials,  from  the  Justice  down  to  the  Catchpole. 
The  official  title  Judge  is  rarely  found,  and  this  surname 
is  usually  from  the  female  name  Judge,  which,  like 
Jug,  was  used  for  Judith,  and  later  for  Jane — 

"  Jaiinctfc,  Judge,  Jennie  ;    a  woman's  name  "  (Cotgrave). 

The  names  Judson  and  Juxon  sometimes  belong  to 
these.  Catch-pole  has  nothing  to  do  with  poles  or 
polls.  It  is  a  Picard  cache-poule  [chasse-poule),  col- 
lector of  poultry  in  default  of  money.  Another  name 
for  judge  was  Dempster,  the  pronouncer  of  doom,  a 
title  which  still  exists  in  the  Isle  of  Man.  We  also  find 
Deemer — 

"  Demar,  judicator"    [Prompt.  Parv.). 

Mayor  is  a  learned  spelling  of  Mair,  Fr.  via  ire,  Lat. 
major,  but  Major,  which  looks  like  its  latinized  form, 
is  imitative  for  the  Old  French  personal  name  Mauger. 
Bishop  Mauger  of  Worcester  pronounced  the  interdict 
in  1208,  and  the  surname  still  exists.  Gaylor,  Galer, 
is  the  Norman  pronunciation  of  gaoler — 

"And  Palamon,  this  woful  prisoner, 
As  was  his  wone,  bi  leve  of  his  gayler. 
Was  risen "    (A,   1064). 

Usher  is  Fr.  huissier,  door-keeper,  Fr,  huis,  door, 
Lat.  ostium.     I  conjecture  that  Lusher  is  the  French 


THE    HOUSEHOLD  185 

name  Lhuissier,  and  that  Lush  is  local,  for  Old  Fr. 
h  huis ;  cf.  Laporte.  Wait,  corruptly  Weight,  now 
used  only  of  a  Christmas  minstrel,  was  once  a  watch- 
man. It  is  a  dialect  form  of  Old  Fr.  gaite,  cognate 
with  watch.  The  older  sense  survives  in  the  expres- 
sion "  to  lie  in  wait.''  Gate  is  the  same  name,  when 
not  local  (p.  124).  The  Todhunter,  or  fox-hunter 
(p.  225),  was  a  parish  official  whose  duty  was  to  ex- 
terminate the  animal  now  so  carefully  preserved. 
Warner  is  for  Warreucr.  The  Grosvenor  (gros  veneur), 
great  hunter,  was  a  royal  servant.  Bannerman  is 
found  latinized  as  Pcnninger  (p.  155).  Herald  may  be 
official  or  from  Harold  (p.  69),  the  derivation  being 
in  any  case  the  same.  Toller  means  a  collector  of  tolls. 
Cocke  Lorelle  speaks  of  these  officials  as  "  false 
Towlers."  Connected  with  administration  is  the  name 
Jdainprice,  taken  by  hand,  used  both  for  a  surety 
a^d  a  man  out  on  bail — ■ 

"  Maynpyysyd,  or  mempry^yd,  manucaptus,  fideijussus" 

{Prompt.  Pani.) ; 

and  Shurety  also  exists. 

The  individual  bigwig  had  a  very  large  retinue,  the 
members  of  which  appear  to  have  held  very  strongl}^ 
to  the  theory  of  one  man,  one  job.  The  Nurse,  or 
Norris,  Fr.  noiirrice,  was  apparently  debarred  from 
rocking  the  cradle.     This  was  the  duty  of  the  rocker — 

"  To  the  norice  and  rokker  of  the  same  lord,  255.  8i." 

{Household  Accounts  of  Elizabeth  of  York,  March,  1503), 

from  whom  Mr.  Rokcr,  chief  turnkey  at  the  Fleet  in 
Mr.  Pickwick's  time,  was  descended.  The  Cook  was 
assisted  by  the  B aster  and  Hasler,  or  turnspit.  This  is 
from  Old  Fr.  hastille,  spit,  dim.  of  Lat.  hasta,  spear. 
The  Chandler  was  a  servant  as  well  as  a  manufacturer. 


i86  OFFICIAL  AND  DOMESTIC 

A  Trotter  and  a  Massinger,  i.e.  messenger,  were  perhaps 
much  the  same  thing.  Wardroper  is  of  course  wardrobe 
keeper,  but  Chaucer  uses  wardrope  (B.  1762)  in  the 
sense  which  Fr.  garde-robe  now  usually  has.  The 
Lavender,  Launder  or  Lander  saw  to  the  washing. 
Napier,  from  Fr.  nappe,  cloth,  meant  the  servant 
who  looked  after  the  napery.  The  martial  sound  with 
which  this  distinguished  name  strikes  a  modern  ear  is 
due  to  historical  association,  assisted,  as  I  have  some- 
where read,  by  its  riming  with  rapier  \  The  water- 
supply  was  in  charge  of  the  Ewer. 

The  provisioning  of  the  great  house  was  the  work  of 
the  Lardner,  Fr.  lard,  bacon,  the  Panter,  or  Pantler, 
who  was,  at  least  etymologically,  responsible  for  bread, 
and  the  Cator  (p.  33)  and  Spencer  (p.  33),  whose  names, 
though  of  opposite  meaning,  buyer  and  spender,  come 
to  very  much  the  same  thing.  Spence  is  still  the  north- 
country  word  for  pantry,  and  is  used  by  Tennyson  in 
the  sense  of  refectory — 

"  Bluff  Harry  broke  into  the  spence 
And  turn'd  the  cowls  adrift." 

(The  Talking  Oak,  1.  47.) 

Purser,  now  used  in  connection  with  ships  only,  was 
also  a  medieval  form  of  bursar,  and  every  castle  and 
monastery  had  its  almoner,  now  Amner.  Here  also 
belongs  Carver.  In  Tver  Church  (Bucks)  is  a  tablet  to 
Lady  Mary  Salter  with  a  poetic  tribute  to  her  husband — 

"  Full  forty  years  a  carver  to  two  kings." 

As  the  importance  of  the  horse  led  to  the  social  eleva- 
tion of  the  marshal  and  constable  (p.  45),  so  the 
hengstman,  now  henchman,  became  his  master's  right- 
hand  man.  The  first  element  is  Anglo-Sax.  hengest, 
stallion,  and  its  most  usual  surnominal  forms  are  Hens- 


THE    HOUSEHOLD  187 

man  and  Hinxman.  Historians  now  regard  Hengist 
and  Horsa,  stallion  and  mare,  as  nicknames  assumed 
by  Jutish  braves  on  the  war-path.  Sumpter,  Old  Fr. 
sommetier,  from  somme,  burden,  was  used  both  of  a 
packhorse  and  its  driver,  its  interpretation  in  King 
Lear  being  a  matter  of  dispute — 

"  Return  with  her  ? 
Persuade  me  rather  to  be  slave  and  sumpter 
To  this  detested  groom"   [Lear,  ii,  4). 

As  a  surname  it  probably  means  the  driver.  Medieval 
Lat.  smnetariiis. 

Among  those  who  ministered  to  the  great  man's 
pleasures  we  must  probably  reckon  Spelman,  Speller, 
Spilhnan,  Spiller,  from  Mid.  Eng.  spel,  a  speech, 
narrative — 

"Now  holde  your  mouth,  par  charitee, 
Bothe  knyght  and  lady  free, 
\  And  herkneth  to  my  spelle"   (B,  2081). 

The  cogno.teSp'ielmann,  lit.  Player,\va.s  used  in  Medieval 
German  of  a  wandering  minstrel. 

The  poet  is  now  Rymer  or  Rimmer,  while  Trover, 
Fr.  troiivere,  a  poet,  minstrel,  lit.  finder,  has  been 
absorbed  by  Trower,  for  Thrower,  a  name  connected 
with  weaving.  Even  the  jester  has  come  down  to 
us  as  Patch,  a  name  given  regularly  to  this  member 
of  the  household  in  allusion  to  his  motley  attire. 
Shylock  applies  it  to  Launcelot — 

"  The  patch  is  kind  enough  ;    but  a  huge  feeder." 

{Merchant  of   Venice,  ii.   5.) 

But  the  name  has  another  origin  (p.  89).  Buller  and 
Cocker  are  names  taken  from  the  fine  old  English 
sports  of  bull-baiting  and  cock-fighting. 

Two  very  humble  members  of   the  parasitic  class 


i88  OFFICIAL  AND  DOMESTIC 

have  given  the  names  Bidder  and  Maunder,  both 
meaning  beggar.  The  first  comes  from  Mid.  Eng. 
bidden,  to  ask.  Piers  Plowman  speaks  of  "  bidderes 
and  beggers."  Maunder  is  perhaps  connected  with 
Old  Fr.  quemander — 

"  Quemander ,  or  caimander ,  to  beg  ;    or  goe  a  begging  ;    to  beg 
from  doore  to  doore  "   (Cotgrave), 

but  it  may  mean  a  maker  of  maunds,  i.e.  baskets. 
A  Beadman  spent  his  time  in  praying  for  his  bene- 
factor. A  medieval  underling  writing  to  his  superior 
often  signs  himself  "  your  servant  and  bedesman." 


CHAPTER    XXI 

OF    NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

"  Here  is  Wyll  \VyIy  the  myl  pecker, 
And  Patrick  Pcvysshe  heerbeter, 
With  lusty  Hary  Hangeman, 
Nexte  house  to  Robyn  Renawaye  ; 
Also  Hycke  Crokenec  the  rope  maker, 
And  Steven  Mesyllmouthe  musky  11  taker." 

(Cocke  Lovelies  Bote.^) 

Every  family  name  is  etymologically  a  nickname,  i.e. 
an  eke-name,  intended  to  give  that  auxiliary  informa- 
tion which  helps  in  identification.  But  writers  on 
surnames  have  generally  made  a  special  class  of  those 
epithets  which  were  originally  conferred  on  the  bearer 
in  connection  with  some  characteristic  feature,  phy- 
sical or  moral,  or  some  adjunct,  often  of  the  most 
trifling  description,  with  which  his  personality  was 
associated.  Of  nicknames,  as  of  other  things,  it  may 
be  said  that  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun. 
Ovidius  Naso  might  have  received  his  as  a  schoolboy, 
and  Moss  cum  naso,  whom  we  find  in  Suffolk  in  1184, 
lives  on  as  "  Nosey  Moss  "  in  Whitechapel.  Some  of 
our  nicknames  occur  as  personal  names  in  Anglo- 
Saxon  times  (p.  71),  but  as  surnames  they  are  seldom 
to  be  traced  back  to  that  period,  for  the  simple  reason 

1  This  humorous  poem,  inspired  by  Sebastian  Brandt's  Xarreii- 
schlQ,  known  in  England  in  Barclay's  translation,  was  printed 
early  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  It  contains  the  fullest  list  we  have 
of  old  trade-names. 

189 


190  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

that  such  names  were  not  hereditary.  An  Anglo- 
Saxon  might  be  named  Wulf,  but  his  son  would  bear 
another  name,  while  our  modern  Wolfe  does  not  usually 
go  farther  back  than  some  Ranulf  le  wolf  of  the  thir- 
teenth or  fourteenth  century.  This  is  of  course  stating 
the  case  broadly,  because  the  personal  name  Wolf 
also  persisted  and  became  in  some  cases  a  surname. 
In  this  and  the  following  chapters  I  do  not  generally 
attempt  to  distinguish  between  such  double  origins. 

Nicknames  are  formed  in  very  many  w^ays,  but  the 
two  largest  classes  are  sobriquets  taken  from  the 
names  of  animals,  e.g.  Hogg,  or  from  adjectives,  either 
alone  or  accompanied  by  a  noun,  e.g.  Dear,  Goodfellow. 
Each  of  these  classes  requires  a  chapter  to  itself,  while 
here  we  may  deal  with  the  smaller  groups. 

Some  writers  have  attempted  to  explain  all  apparent 
nicknames  as  popular  perversions  of  surnames  belong- 
ing to  the  other  three  classes.  As  the  reader  will 
already  have  noticed,  such  perversions  are  extremely 
common,  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  try  to  account  for 
obvious  nicknames  in  this  way.  Any  of  us  who  retain 
a  vivid  recollection  of  early  days  can  call  to  mind 
nicknames  of  the  most  fantastic  kind,  and  in  some 
cases  of  the  most  apparently  impossible  formation, 
which  stuck  to  their  possessors  all  through  school-life. 
A  very  simple  test  for  the  genuineness  of  a  nickname 
is  a  comparison  with  other  languages.  Camden  says 
that  Drinkwater  is  a  corruption  of  Derwentwater.  The 
incorrectness  of  this  guess  is  shown  by  the  existence 
as  surnames  of  Fr.  Boileau,  It.  Bevilaequa,  and  Ger. 
Trinkwasser.  It  is  in  fact  a  perfectly  natural  nick- 
name for  a  medieval  eccentric,  the  more  normal 
attitude  being  represented  by  Roger  Beyvin  [hoi-vin), 
who  died  in  London  in  1277. 


FOREIGN    NICKNAMES  191 

Corresponding  to  our  Goodday,  we  find  Ger.  Guientag 
and  Fr.  Bon  jour.  The  latter  has  been  explained  as 
from  a  popular  form  of  George,  but  the  English  and 
German  names  show  that  the  explanation  is  unneces- 
sary. With  Dry  we  may  compare  Fr.  Lesec  and 
Ger.  Dilrr,  with  Garlick  Ger.  Knoblauch  (p.  155),  and 
with  Shakespeare  Ger.  Schiittespeer.  Luck  is  both  for 
Luke  and  Luick  (Liege,  p.  100),  but  Rosa  Bonhciir 
and  the  composer  Gluck  certify  it  also  as  a  nickname. 
Merry  weather  is  Fr.  Bontemps  and  Littlehoy  appears 
in  the  Paris  Directory  as  Petitgas,  gas  being  the  same 
as  gars,  the  old  nominative  of  garcon — 

"  Gars,  a  lad,  boy,  stripling,  youth,  yonker  "  (Cotgrave). 

Bardsley  explains  Twentyman  as  an  imitative  corrup- 
tion of  twinter-man,  the  man  in  charge  of  the  twinters, 
two-year-old  colts.  This  may  be  so,  but  there  is  a 
German  confectioner  in  Hampstead  called  Zwanziger, 
and  there  are  Parisians  named  Vingtain.  Lover  is 
confirmed  by  the  French  surnames  Amant  and  La- 
moureux,  and  Wellhcloved  by  Bicnaime.  Allways  may 
be  the  literal  equivalent  of  the  French  name  Partout. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  name  Praisegod  Barebones  has 
been  \vrongly  fixed  on  an  individual  of  French  descent 
named  Barbon,  from  barbe,  beard. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  nickname,  conferred 
essentially  on  the  individual,  and  often  of  a  very 
offensive  character,  should  have  persisted  and  become 
hereditary.  But  schoolboys  know  that,  in  the  case  of 
unpleasant  nicknames,  the  more  you  try  to  pull  it  off, 
the  more  it  sticks  the  faster.  Malapert  and  Lehideux 
are  still  well  represented  in  the  Paris  Directory.  Many 
objectionable  nicknames  have,  however,  disappeared, 
or  have  been  so   modified  as  to  become  inoffensive. 


192  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

Sometimes  such  disappearance  has  resulted  from  the 
depreciation  in  the  meaning  of  a  word,  e.g.  le  lewd,  the 
layman,  the  unlettered,  was  once  as  common  as  its 
opposite  le  learned,  whence  the  name  Lamed.  But 
many  uncomplimentary  names  are  no  longer  objected 
to  because  their  owners  do  not  know  their  earlier 
meanings.  A  famous  hymn-writer  of  the  eighteenth 
century  bore  all  unconsciously  a  surname  that  would 
almost  have  made  Rabelais  blush.  Drinkdregs, 
Drunkard,  Sourale,  Sparewater,  Sweatinbed,  etc.  have 
gone,  but  we  still  have  Lusk — 

"  Falouvdin,  a  liiskc,  lowt,  lurden,  a  lubberlie  sloven,  heavie  sot, 
lumpish  hoydon  "  (Cotgrave) — 

and  many  other  names  which  can  hardly  have  gratiiied 
their  original  possessors. 

A  very  interesting  group  of  surnames  consists  of 
those  which  indicate  degrees  of  kinship  or  have  to  do 
with  the  relations  existing  between  individuals.  We 
find  both  Master  and  Mann,  united  in  Masterman, 
meaning  the  man  in  the  service  of  one  locally  known 
as  the  master.  With  this  we  may  compare  Ladyman, 
Priestman,  etc.  But  Mann  is  often  local,  from  Le  Mans, 
the  capital  of  Maine.  In  some  cases  such  names  are 
usually  found  with  the  patronymic  -s,  e.g.  Masters, 
Fellows,  while  in  others  this  is  regularly  absent,  e.g. 
Guest,  Friend.  The  latter  name  is  sometimes  a  corrup- 
tion of  Mid.  Eng.  fremed,  stranger,  cognate  with  Ger. 
fremd,  so  that  opposite  terms,  which  we  find  regularly 
contrasted  in  Mid.  Eng.  "  frend  and  fremed,"  have 
become  absorbed  in  one  surname.  The  frequent 
occurrence  of  Fellows  is  due  to  its  being  sometimes  for 
the  local  Fallows.  From  Mid.  Eng.  fere,  a  companion, 
connected  with  far  en,  to  travel,  we  get  Littlefair  and 


KINSHIP  193 

Play  fair.  In  Wyclif  s  Bible  we  read  that  Jephthah's 
daughter — 

"  Whanne  sche  hadde   go   with   hir   felowis  and  pleiferis,   sche 
biwept  hir  maydynhed  in  the  hillis  "  (Judges  xi.  38). 

SpHngett  is  for  springald,  and  Arldt  is  Mid.  Eng. 
harlot,  fellow,  rascal,  a  word  which  has  changed  its 
gender  and  meaning — 

"  He  was  a  gentil  harlot  and  a  kynde, 
A  betre  felawe  sholde  men  noght  fynde." 

(A,  647.) 

In  surnames  taken  from  words  indicating  family  re- 
lationship we  come  across  some  survivals  of  terms  no 
longer  used,  or  occurring  only  in  rustic  dialect.  The 
Mid.  Eng.  e^ne,  uncle,  cognate  with  Ger.  Oheim,  has 
given  Eames.  In  Chaucer's  Troilus  and  Criscyde, 
the  heroine  addresses  Pandarus  as  "  uncle  dere  "  and 
"  uncle  mine,"  but  also  uses  the  older  word — 

"  '  In  good  feith,  em,'  quod  she,  '  that  hketh  me  '  "(ii.  162) ; 

and  the  word  is  used    more  than    once  by  Scott — 

"  Didna  his  e>«e  die  .  .  .  wi' the  name  of  the  Bluidy  Mackenzie  ?  " 

{Heart  of  Midlothian ,  ch.  xii.) 

It  is  also  one  of  the  sources  of  Empson,  which  thus  cor- 
responds to  Cousins  or  Cozens.  In  Neame  we  have  a 
prosthetic  n-  due  to  the  frequent  occurrence  of  iiiin 
erne  (cf.  the  Shakespearean  nuncle,  Lear,  i.  4).  The 
names  derived  from  cousin  have  been  reinforced  by 
those  from  Cuss,  i.e.  Constant  or  Constance  (p.  95). 
Thus  Cussens  is  from  the  Mid.  Eng.  dim.  Cussin. 
Anglo-Sax.  nefa,  whence  Mid.  Eng.  neve,^  ncave,  is 
cognate  with,  but  not  derived  from,  Lat.  ncpos.     This 

1  In  all  books  on  surnames  that  I  have  come  across  this  is  re- 
ferred to  Old  Fr.  le  neve.  There  is  no  such  word  in  Old  French, 
which  has  nom.  nies,  ace.  iicveu. 

14 


194  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

is  now  replaced  as  a  common  noun  by  the  French 
word  nephew,  but  it  survives  in  the  surname  Neave. 
It  also  meant  in  Mid.  English  a  prodigal  or  parasite, 
as  did  also  Lat.  nepos — 

"  Ncvc,  neverthryfte,  or  wastowre  "  {Prompt.  Parv.). 

It  is  likely  that  Nevison  and  Nevmson  are  sometimes 
derivatives  of  this  word ;  cf.  Widdowson  and  Empson. 
Child  was  sometimes  used  in  the  special  sense  of 
youth  of  gentle  blood,  or  young  knight  ;  cf.  Childe 
Harold  and  Childe  Rowland  {Lear,  iii.  4) .  But  the  more 
general  meaning  may  be  assumed  in  its  compounds, 
of  which  the  most  interesting  is  Leifchild,  love-child, 
but  without  the  unhappy  sense  which  we  now  give 
to  the  term.  The  corresponding  Faunt  (p.  146)  is  now 
rare.  Another  word,  now  only  used  in  dialect  or  by 
affectation,  is  bairn,  the  chief  source  of  the  very 
common  surname  Barnes  ;  cf .  Fairhairn  and  Goodbairn, 
often  perverted  to  Fairburn,  Goodburn,  Goodban.  Barn- 
father  is  about  equivalent  to  Lat.  paterfamilias,  but 
Pennefather  is  an  old  nickname  for  a  miser — 

"  Caqueduc,  a  niggard,  micher,  miser,  scrape-good,  pinch-penny, 
penny-father  ;    a  covetous  and  greedy  wretch  "  (Cotgrave). 

The  name  Bastard  was  once  considered  no  disgrace  if 
the  dishonour  came  from  a  noble  source,  and  several 
great  medieval  warriors  bore  this  sobriquet.  With 
this  we  may  compare  Lernan  or  Lemon,  Mid.  Eng. 
leof-man,  dear  man,  beloved,  and  Para^nor,  Fr.  par 
amour,  an  example  of  an  adverbial  phrase  that  has 
become  a  noun.  This  expression,  used  of  lawful  love 
in  Old  French,  in  the  stock  phrase  "  aimer  une  belle 
dame  par  amour,"  had  already  an  evil  meaning  by 
Chaucer's  time — 

"  My  fourthe  housbonde  was  a  revelonr. 
This  is  to  seyn,  he  hadde  a  paramour"  (D,  453). 


KINSHIP  195 

With  these  names  we  may  put  Drewry  or  Drury, 
sweetheart,  from  the  Old  French  abstract  drueric,  of 
Germanic  origin  and  cognate  with  true — 

"  For  certeynly  no  such  beeste 
To  be  loved  is  not  worthy. 
Or  here  the  name  of  druerie." 

[Romaunt  of  the  Rose,  5062.) 

Suckling  is  a  nickname  apphed  to  a  helpless  person ; 
cf.  Littlechild  and  "milksop,"  which  "still  thrives  in 
the  United  States  as  Mellsop  "  (Bardsley).  The  heir 
survives  as  Ayre  and  Eyre.  Batchclor,  the  origin  of 
which  is  one  of  the  etymological  problems  yet  un- 
solved, had  in  Old  French  and  Mid.  Enghsh  also 
the  meaning  of  young  warrior  or  squire.  Chaucer's 
Squier  is  described  as — 

"  A  lovyere  and  a  lusty  bacheler"  (A,  So). 

May,  maiden,  whence  Mildmay,  is  used  by  Chaucer 
for  the  Holy  Virgin — 

"Now,  lady  bright,  to  whom  alle  woful  cryen, 
Thow  glorie  of  wommanhede,  thow  faire  may, 
Thow  haven  of  refut,  brighte  sterre  of  day"    (B,  850). 

This  is  the  same  word  as  Mid.  Eng.  mcsi,  relative,  cog- 
nate with  maid  and  GaeHc  Mac-  (p.  66).  It  survives 
in  the  Nottingham  name  Watmough  and  perhaps  in 
Hickmott — 

"Mow,  housbandys  sister  or  sj'ster  in  law  "  {Prompt.  Parv.). 

I  imagine  that  William  echemannesmai,  who  owed  the 
Treasury  a  mark  in  1182,  was  one  of  the  sponging 
fraternity. 

Virgoe,  a  latinization  of  Virgin,  is  almost  certainly  a 
shop-sign.  Rigmaiden,  explained  by  Lower  as  "  a 
romping  girl,"  is  local,  from  a  place  in  Westmorland. 
Richard  de  Riggemayden  was  living  in  Lancashire  in 


196  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

1307.  With  this  group  of  names  we  may  put  Gossip, 
originally  a  god-parent,  lit.  related  in  God,  Mid.  Eng. 
sib,  kin. 

With  names  like  Farehrother,  Goodfellow,  we  may 
compare  some  of  French  origin  such  as  Bonscr  (bon 
sire),  Bonamy,  and  Bellamy — 

"Thou  beel  amy,  thou  pardoner,  he  sayde, 
Telle  us  som  myrth,  or  japes,  right  anon." 

(B,  zii.) 

Beldam  (belle  dame) ,  originally  a  complimentary  name 
for  grandmother,  or  grandam,  has  become  uncompli- 
mentary in  meaning — 

First  Witch.     "  Why,  how  now,  Hecate  !    you  look  angerly." 
Hecate.     "  Have  I  not  reason,  beldams  as  you  are, 
Saucy  and  overbold  ?  "    (Macbeth,  iii.   5). 

F"rom  the  corresponding  Old  Fr.  bel-sire,  beau-sire,  we 
have  Bewsher,  Bowser,  and  the  Picard  form  Belcher — 

"  The  great  belsire,  the  grandsire,  sire,  and  sonne. 
Lie  here  interred  under  this  grave  stone." 

(Weever,  Ancient  Funeral  Monuments.) 

To  relationships  by  marriage  belongs  sometimes  the 
name  Gander,  corresponding  to  Fr.  Legendre,  the  son-in- 
law,  Lat.  gener.  Its  normal  forms  are  Gender,  Ginder. 
Fitch,  usually  an  animal  nickname  (p.  225),  is  occa- 
sionally for  le  fiz,  the  son,  which  also  survives  as 
Fitz.  Goodson,  from  the  personal  name  Good  (p.  4), 
sometimes  corresponds  to  the  French  surname  Lefilleul, 
i.e.  the  godson. 

A  possible  derivative  of  the  name  May  (p.  195)  is 
Ivimey.  Holly  and  Ivy  were  the  names  of  characters 
in  Christmas  games,  and  an  old  rime  says — 

"  Holy  and  his  mery  men,  they  dawnsyn  and  they  syng, 
Ivy  and  hur  may  dins,  they  wepen  and  they  wryng." 

If  Ivimey  is  from  this  source,  the  same  origin  must 


ABSTRACTS  197 

sometimes  be  allowed  to  HoUiman  (p.  6).  This  con- 
jecture 1  has  in  its  favour  the  fact  that  many  of  our 
surnames  are  undoubtedly  derived  from  characters 
assumed  in  dramatic  performances  and  popular  festivi- 
ties. To  this  class  belong  many  surnames  which  have 
the  form  of  abstract  nouns,  e.g.  Charity,  Verity,  Virtue, 
Vice.  Of  similar  origin  are  perhaps  Bliss,  Chance, 
Luck,  and  Goodluck  ;  cf.  Bonaventure.  Love,  Luff, 
occur  generally  as  a  personal  name,  hence  the  dim. 
Lufkins,  but  it  is  sometimes  a  nickname.  Lovcll, 
Lovett,  more  often  mean  little  wolf.  Both  Loiivet  and 
Louveau  are  common  French  surnames.  The  name 
Lovell,  in  the  wolf  sense,  was  often  applied  to  a  dog, 
as  in  the  famous  couplet — 

"The  ratte,  the  catte,  and  Lovell,  our  dogge 
Rule  all  England  under  the  hogge," 

for  which  William  Collingborne  was  executed  in  1484. 
Lowell  is  a  variant  of  Lovell. 

But  many  apparent  abstract  names  are  due  to  folk- 
etymology,  e.g.  Marriage  is  local,  Old  Fr.  marage, 
marsh,  and  Wedlock  is  imitative  for  the  local  Wedlake  ; 
cf .  Mortlock  for  Mortlake  and  perhaps  Diplock  for  deep- 
lake.  Creed  is  the  Anglo-Saxon  personal  name  Creda. 
Revel,  a  common  French  surname,  is  a  personal 
name.  Wisdom  is  local,  from  a  spot  in  Devon,  and 
Want  is  the  Mid.  Eng.  wont,  mole,  whence  Wontner, 
mole-catcher.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  such  names  as 
Warr,  Battle,  and  Conquest  came  into  existence.  The 
former,  found  as  de  la  warre,  is  no  doubt  sometimes  for 
Weir  (p.  129),  and  Battle  is  a  dim,  of  Bat  (p.  57).  But 
de  la  batayle  is  also  a  common  entry,  and  Laguerre  and 
Labataille  are  common  French  surnames. 

1  Ferguson,  in  his  Surnames  as  a  Science. 


198  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

A  nickname  was  often  conferred  in  connection  with 
some  external  object  regularly  associated  with  the 
individual.  Names  taken  from  shop-signs  really  be- 
long to  this  class.  Corresponding  to  our  Hood  ^  we 
have  Fr.  Capron  {chaperon).  Burdon,  Fr.  bourdon, 
meant  a  staff,  especially  a  pilgrim's  staff.  Daunger 
is  described  as  having — 

"  In  his  honde  a  gret  biirdoun"   (Romaimt  of  the  Rose,  3401). 

But  the  name  Burdon  is  also  local.  Bracegirdle,  i.e. 
breeks-girdle,  must  have  been  the  nickname  of  one 
who  wore  a  gorgeous  belt.  The  Sussex  name  Quaife 
represents  the  Norman  pronunciation  of  coif.  More 
usually  an  adjective  enters  into  such  combinations. 
With  the  historic  Curthose,  Longsword,  Strongbow 
we  may  compare  Shorthouse,  a  perversion  of  short-hose, 
Longstaff,  Horlock  (hoar) ,  Silverlock,  Whitlock,  etc.  With 
Lovelock  I  should  put  Crockett,  Old  Fr.  crochet,  a  curled 
lock,  and  perhaps  Lovibond,  found  earlier  as  love-band. 
But  the  pretty  name  Lovelace  is  a  corruption  of  the  de- 
pressing Loveless  ;  cf.  Lawless  and  probably  Bindloss. 
WooUard  may  be  the  Anglo-Saxon  personal  name 
Wulfheard,  but  is  more  probably  from  woolward,  i.e. 
without  linen,  a  costume  assumed  as  a  sign  of  peni- 
tence— 

"  Wolwarde,\wit\\o-at  any  lynnen  nexte  ones  body,  sans  chemyse." 

(Palsgrave.) 

The  three  names  Medley,  Medlicott,  and  Motley  go 
together,  though  all  three  of  them  may  be  local  (the 
mid-lea,  the  middle-cot,  and  the  moat-lea) .  Medley, 
mixed,  is  the  Anglo-French  past  participle  of  Old  Fr. 

1  Hooi  has  another  origin  (p.  3),  but  the  garment  is  made  into 
a  personal  name  in  Little  Red  Ridinghood,  who  is  called  in  French 
le  petit  Chaperon  Rouge, 


COSTUME  199 

mesler  (meler).     Motley  is  of  unknown  origin,  but  it 
was  not  necessarily  a  fool's  dress — 

"A  marchant  was  ther  with  a  forked  herd. 
In  mottelye,  and  hye  on  horse  he  sat. 
Upon  his  heed  a  Flaundryssh  bevere  hat"  (A,  270). 

So   also  the  Serjeant  of  the  Law   was  distinguished 
by  his,  for  the  period,  plain  dress — 

"  He  rood  but  hoomly  in  a  medlee  cote  "   (A,  328). 

Gildersleeve  is  now  rare  in  England,   though   it   still 
flourishes  in  the  United  States.^ 

Names  like  Beard,  Chinn,  Tooth  were  conferred 
because  of  some  prominent  feature.     In  Anglo-French 

1  We  have  several  instances  of  this  phenomenon.  A  famiUar 
example  is  Lippincott,  the  original  form  of  which  was  Luffincott 
(Devonshire).  But  Bardsley's  inclusion  of  American  statistics  is 
often  misleading.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  foreign  names  of 
immigrants  are  regularly  assimilated  to  English  forms  in  the  United 
States.  In  some  cases,  such  as  Cook  for  Koch,  Cope  (p.  107)  for 
Kopf,  Stout  (p.  209)  for  Stolz  or  Stultz,  the  change  is  etymologically 
justified.  But  in  other  cases,  such  as  Tallman  for  Thalmann,  dale- 
man.  Trout  for  Traiit,  faithful,  the  resemblance  is  accidental.  Beam 
and  Chestnut,  common  in  the  States  but  very  rare  in  England,  re- 
present an  imitative  form  of  Bohin  or  Behm,  Bohemian,  and  a 
translation  of  Kestenbaum,  chestnut  tree,  both  Jewish  names.  The 
Becks  and  Bowmans  of  New  York  outnumber  those  of  London  by 
about  five  to  one,  the  first  being  for  Beck,  baker  (p.  149),  and  the 
second  for  Baumann,  equivalent  to  Bauer,  farmer.  Bardsley  ex- 
plains the  common  American  name  Arrison  by  the  fact  that  there 
are  Cockneys  in  America.  It  comes  of  course  from  Arend,  a  Dutch 
name  related  to  Arnold. 

"  A  remarkable  record  in  changes  of  surname  was  cited  some  years 
ago  by  an  American  correspondent  of  Notes  and  Queries.  '  The 
changes  which  befell  a  resident  of  New  Orleans  were  that  when  he 
moved  from  an  American  quarter  to  a  German  neighbourhood  his 
name  of  Flint  became  Feuerstein,  which  for  convenience  was  short- 
ened to  Stein.  Upon  his  removal  to  a  French  district  he  was  re- 
christened  Pierre.  Hence  upon  his  return  to  an  English  neighbour- 
hood he  was  translated  into  Peters,  and  his  first  neighbours  were 
surprised  and  puzzled  to  find  Flint  turned  Peters.'  " 

{Daily  Chronicle,  April  4,   191 3-) 


200  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

we  find  gernon,  moustache,  now  corrupted  to  Gam- 
ham,  and  also  al  gernon,  with  the  moustache,  which 
has  become  Algernon.  But  we  have  already  seen 
(p.  125)  that  some  names  which  appear  to  belong 
to  this  class  are  of  local  origin.  So  also  Tongite 
is  derived  from  one  of  several  places  named  Tong 
or  Tonge,  though  the  ultimate  origin  is  perhaps 
in  some  cases  the  same,  a  "tongue"  of  land. 
Quartermain  is  for  qiiatre-mains,  perhaps  bestowed 
on  a  very  acquisitive  person  ;  Joscius  quatre-buches, 
four  mouths,  and  Roger  tiinekes,  two  necks,  were  alive 
in  the  twelfth  century ;  and  there  is  record  of  a  Saracen 
champion  named  qiiinze-paumes,  though  this  is  perhaps 
rather  a  measure  of  height.  Cheek  I  conjecture  to 
be  for  Chick.  The  odd-looking  Kidney  is  for  the  local 
Gidney.  There  is  a  rare  name  Poindexter,  appearing 
in  French  as  Poingdestre,  "  right  fist."  ^  I  have  seen  it 
explained  as  from  the  heraldic  term  point  dexter,  but 
it  is  rather  to  be  taken  literally.  I  find  Johannes 
own  pugno  in  1184,  and  we  can  imagine  that  such  a 
name  may  have  been  conferred  on  a  medieval  bruiser. 
There  is  also  the  possibility,  considering  the  brutality 
of  many  old  nicknames,  that  the  bearer  of  the  name 
had  been  judicially  deprived  of  his  right  hand,  a  very 
common  punishment,  especially  for  striking  a  feudal 
superior.  Thus  Renaut  de  Montauban,  finding  that 
his  unknown  opponent  is  Charlemagne,  exclaims — 

"  J'ai  forfait  le  poing  desire  dont  je  I'ai  adese  (struck)." 

We   have   some    nicknames    describing    gait,    e.g. 

Ambler  and  Shaylor — 

"  I  shayle,  as  a  man  or  horse  dotlie  that  go  the  croked  with  his 
leggs,  je  vas  eschays  "  (Palsgrave) — 

^  President  Potncard's  name  appears  to  mean  "square  fist." 


PHYSICAL    FEATURES  201 

and  perhaps  sometimes  Trotter.  If  George  Eliot  had 
been  a  student  of  surnames  she  would  hardly  have 
named  a  heroine  Nancy  Lammiter,  i.e.  cripple — 

"  Though  ye  may  think  him  a  lamiter,  yet,  grippie  for  grippie,  he'll 
make  the  bluid  spin  frae  under  your  nails  "  [Black  Dwarf,  ch.  x\di.). 

It  may  also  be  a  variant  of  Chaucer's  limitour,  a 
friar  with  authority  to  beg  within  certain  bounds. 
Pettigreiv  and  Pettijer  are  of  French  origin,  pied  de  grue 
(crane)  and  pied  de  fer.  The  former  is  the  origin  of  the 
word  pedigree,  from  a  sign  used  in  drawing  genea- 
logical trees.  The  Buckinghamshire  name  Puddifoot 
and  the  aristocratic  Pauncefote  are  unsolved.  I  should 
like  to  suggest  that  the  former  is  a  corruption  of 
PeUifer.  This  is  not  so  wild  as  it  looks.  We  find  the 
intermediate  form  Puddifer,  and  the  further  cor- 
ruption to  Puddifoot  is  no  more  impossible  than  the 
transformation  of  Ger.  Sauer-kraut,  sour  cabbage,  into 
Fr.  choucroute,  where  the  "  sour  "  has  become  the 
"  cabbage."  As  for  Pauncefote,  I  believe  it  simply 
means  what  it  appears  to,  viz.  "  belly-foot,"  a  curious 
formation,  though  not  without  parallels  among  obsolete 
rustic  nicknames,  and  an  almost  literal  equivalent  of 
the  Greek  Qidipus. 

In  other  languages  as  well  as  English  we  find  money 
nicknames.  It  is  easy  to  understand  how  some  of 
these  come  into  existence,  e.g.  that  Pierce  Pennilesse 
was  the  opposite  of  Thomas  Thousandpound,  whose 
name  occurs  c.  1300.  With  the  latter  we  may  com- 
pare Fr.  Centlivre,  the  name  of  an  English  lady  drama- 
tist of  the  eighteenth  century.  Moneypenny  is  found 
in  1273  as  manipeni,  and  a  Londoner  named  Manypeny 
died  in  1348.  The  Money-  is  partly  north  country, 
partly  imitative.     Money  itself  is  usually  occupative 


202  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

or  local  (p.  165),  and  SM/iwg  is  the  Anglo-Saxon  name 
Scilling.  The  oldest  and  commonest  of  such  nick- 
names is  the  simple  Petmy,  with  which  we  may  com- 
pare the  German  sm"name  Pfennig  and  its  compounds 
Bar  pfennig,  Weisspfennig,  etc.  The  early  adoption  of 
this  coin-name  as  a  personal  name  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  word  was  taken  in  the  sense  of  money  in 
general.  We  still  speak  of  a  rich  man  as  "worth  a 
pretty  penny."  Hallmark  is  folk-etymology  for  the 
raedievaXhalf-mark.  Such  medieval  namesas  four-pence, 
twenty-mark,  etc.,  probably  now  obsolete,  are  paralleled 
by  Fr.  Quatresous  and  Sixdenier,  still  to  be  found  in  the 
Paris  Directory.  It  would  be  easy  to  form  conjectures 
as  to  the  various  ways  in  which  such  names  may  have 
come  into  existence.  To  the  same  class  must  belong 
Besant,  the  name  of  a  coin  from  Byzantium,  its  foreign 
origin  giving  it  a  dignity  which  is  absent  from  the 
native  Farthing  and  Halfpenny,  though  the  latter,  in 
one  instance,  was  improved  beyond  recognition  into 
MacAlpine. 

There  is  also  a  small  group  of  surnames  derived 
from  oaths  or  exclamations  which  by  habitual  use 
became  associated  with  certain  individuals.  We  know 
that  monarchs  had  a  special  tendency  to  indulge  in  a 
favourite  expletive.  To  Roger  de  Collerye  we  owe 
some  information  as  to  the  imprecations  preferred  by 
four  French  kings — 

"  Quand  la  Pasque-Dieu  (Louis  XI.)  deceda, 
Le  Boyi  Jour  Dieii  (Charles  VIII.)  luy  succcda  ; 
Au  Bon  Jour  Dieu  deffunct  et  mort 
Succeda  le  Dyable  m'emport  (Louis  XII.). 
Luy  decede,  nous  voyons  comme 
Nous  duist  (governs)  la  Fay  de  Gentilhommc  (Francis  I.)." 

So  important  was  this  branch  of  linguistics  once  con- 


IMPRECATIONS  203 

sidered  that  Palsgrave,  the  French  tutor  of  Princess 
Mary  Tudor,  includes  in  his  Esclarcissement  de  la 
Langue  francoyse  a  section  on  "  The  Maners  of 
Cursyng."  Among  the  examples  are  "  Le  grant 
diable  luy  rompe  le  col  et  les  deux  jambes,"  "  Le  diable 
I'emporte,  corps  et  ame,  tripes  et  boyaux,"  which 
were  unfortunately  too  long  for  surname  purposes,  but 
an  abridged  form  of  "  Le  feu  Saint  Anthoyne  ^  I'arde  " 
has  given  the  French  name  Feulard.  Such  names, 
usually  containing  the  name  of  God,  e.g.  Godmefetch, 
Helpusgod,  have  mostly  disappeared  in  this  country  ; 
but  Dieuleveiit  and  Dieumegard  are  still  found  in  Paris, 
and  Gottbehiit,  God  forbid,  and  Gotthelf,  God  help, 
occur  in  German.  Godbehere  still  exists,  and  there  is 
not  the  slightest  reason  why  it  should  not  be  of  the 
origin  which  its  form  indicates.  In  Gracedieu,  thanks 
to  God,  the  second  element  is  an  Old  French  dative. 
Pardoe,  Purdue,  whence  Purdey,  is  for  par  Dieu — 

"  I  have  a  wyf  pardee,  as  wel  as  thow "   (A,   3158). 

There  is  a  well-known  professional  footballer  named 
Mordue  ('sdeath),  and  a  French  composer  named 
Boieldieu  (God's  bowels).  The  French  nickname  for 
an  Englishman,  Goddam  ^ — 

"  Those  syllables  intense, 
Nucleus  of  England's  native  eloquence" 

(Byron,  The  Island,  iii.   5) — 

goes  back  to  the  fifteenth  century,  in  which  invective 
references  to  the  godons  are  numerous.  Such  nick- 
names are  still  in  common  use  in  some  parts  of  France — 

1  Saint  Anthony's  fire,  i.e.  erysipelas,  bum  him  ! 

2  "  Les  Anglais  en  verite  ajoutent  par-ci,  par-la  quelques  autres 
mots  en  conversant ;  mais  il  est  bien  aise  de  voir  que  goddam  est  le 
fond  de  la  langue"  (Beaumarchais,  Mariage  de  Figaro,  iii.  5). 


204  OF   NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

"  Les  Berrichons  se  designent  souvent  par  le  juron  qui  leur  est 
familier.  Ainsi  ils  diront :  '  Diable  me  briMe  est  bien  malade. 
Norn  d'lin  rat  est  a  la  foire.  La  femme  a  Diable  m'estrangouille  est 
morte.  Le  gar^on  a  Bon  Yoxi  (Dieu)  se  marie  avec  la  fiUe  a  Dieu  me 
confonde.'  " 

(Nyrop,  Grammairc  historiqite  de  la  lauguc  fvancaise,  iv.  209). 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  group  of  nicknames 
is  that  of  which  we  may  take  Shakespeare  as  the  type. 
Incidentally  we  should  be  thankful  that  our  greatest 
poet  bore  a  name  so  much  more  picturesque  than 
Corneille,  crow,  or  Racine,  root.  It  is  agreed  among 
all  competent  scholars  that  in  compounds  of  this 
formation  the  verb  was  originally  an  imperative. 
This  is  shown  by  the  form  ;  cf .  ne'er-do-well,  Fr.  vaurien, 
Ger.  Taugenichts,  good  -  for  -  naught.  Thus  Hasluck 
cannot  belong  to  this  class,  but  must  be  an  imitative 
form  of  the  personal  name  Aslac,  which  we  find  in 
Aslockton.  As  Bardsley  well  says,  it  is  impossible 
to  retail  all  the  nonsense  that  has  been  written  about 
the  name  Shakespeare — "  never  a  name  in  Enghsh 
nomenclature  so  simple  or  so  certain  in  its  origin  ;  it 
is  exactly  what  it  looks — shake-spear."  The  equiva- 
lent Schuttespeer  is  found  in  German,  and  we  have  also 
in  English  Shakeshaft,  Waghorn,  Wagstaff,  Breakspear, 
Winspear.  "  Winship  the  mariner  "  was  a  freeman 
of  York  in  the  fourteenth  century.  Cf.  Benbow 
(bend-bow),  Hurlhatt,  and  the  less  athletic  Lovejoy, 
Makepeace.  Gathergood  and  its  opposite  Scattergood 
are  of  similar  origin,  good  having  here  the  sense  of 
goods.  Dogood  is  sometimes  for  Toogood,  and  the 
latter  may  be,  like  Thoroughgood,  an  imitative  form 
of  Thurgod  (p.  73)  ;  but  both  names  may  also  be 
taken  literally,  for  we  find  Ger.  Thunichtgut,  do  no 
good,  and  Fr.  Troplong.  As  a  pendant  to  Dolittle 
we  find  a  medieval  hack-little,  no  doubt  a  lazy  wood- 


PHRASE-NAMES  205 

cutter,  while  virtue  is  represented  by  a  twelfth-cen- 
tury tire-liUlc.  Sherwin  in  some  cases  represents  the 
medieval  schere-wynd,  applied  to  a  swift  runner  ;  cf. 
Ger.  Schneidewind,  cut  wind,  and  Fr.  Tranchevent.  A 
nurseryman  at  Highgate  has  the  appropriate  name 
Cuthiish,  the  French  equivalent  of  which,  Taillehois, 
has  given  us  Tallboys;  and  a  famous  herbahst  was 
named  Culpepper.  In  Gathercole  the  second  element 
may  mean  cabbage  or  charcoal.  In  one  case,  Horni- 
hlow  for  horn-blow,  the  verb  comes  after  its  object. 

Names  of  this  formation  are  very  common  in  Mid. 
English  as  in  Old  French,  and  often  bear  witness  to  a 
violent  or  brutal  nature.  Thus  scorch-beef,  which  is 
found  in  the  Flundred  Rolls,  has  no  connection  with 
careless  cookery  ;  it  is  Old  Fr.  escorche{ecorche)-buef, 
flay  ox,  a  name  given  to  some  medieval  "  Skin-the- 
goat."  Catchpole  (p.  184)  is  formed  in  the  same  way, 
and  in  French  we  find,  applied  to  law  officials,  the 
surnames  Baillehart,  give  ^  halter,  and  Baillehache,  give 
axe,  the  latter  still  appropriately  borne,  as  Bailhache, 
by  an  English  judge. 

It  has  sometimes  been  assumed  that  most  names  of 
this  class  are  due  to  folk-etymology.  The  frequency 
of  their  occurrence  in  Mid.  English  and  in  continental 
languages  makes  it  certain  that  the  contrary  is  the 
case  and  that  many  surnames  of  obscure  origin  are 
perversions  of  this  very  large  and  popular  class.  I 
have  seen  it  stated  somewhere  that  Shakespeare  is  a 
corruption  of  an  Old  French  name  Sacquespee,^  the 
theorist  being  apparently  unable  to  see  that  this  latter, 
meaning  draw-sword,  is  merely  an  additional  argument, 

1  Bailler,  the  usual  Old  French  for  to  give,  is  still  used  collo- 
quially and  in  dialect. 

2  Of  common  occurrence  in  Mid.  English  records. 


2o6  OF  NICKNAMES   IN   GENERAL 

if  such  were  needed,  for  the  Hteral  interpretation  of 
the  EngHsh  name.^ 

Tredgold  seems  to  have  been  conferred  on  some 
medieval  stoic,  for  we  find  also  spurnegold .  ^^'ith- 
out  pinning  our  faith  to  any  particular  anecdote, 
we  need  have  no  hesitation  in  accepting  TurnhnU 
as  a  sobriquet  conferred  for  some  feat  of  strength 
and  daring  on  a  stalwart  Borderer.  We  find  the 
corresponding  Tornebeuf  in  Old  French,  and  Turn- 
buck  also  occurs.  Trumbull  and  Trumble  are  variants 
due  to  metathesis  followed  by  assimilation  (p.  35),  while 
Tremble  is  a  very  degenerate  form.  In  KnatchbuU  we 
have  a  dialect  form  of  the  verb  to  "  snatch  ' '  in  its  oldest 
sense  of  to  seize.  Crawcour  is  Fr.  Crevecceur,  break- 
heart,  which  has  also  become  a  local  name  in  France. 
With  Shacklock,  shake-lock,  and  Sherlock,  Shurlock, 
shear-lock,  we  may  compare  Robin  Hood's  comrade 
Scathelock,  though  the  precise  interpretation  of  all  three 
names  is  difficult.  Rackstraiv ,  rake-straw,  corresponds 
to  Fr.  Grattepaille.  Golightly  means  much  the  same  as 
Light  foot  (p.  126),  nor  need  we  hesitate  to  regard  the 
John  Gotobed  ^  who  lived  in  Cambridgeshire  in  1273 
as  a  notorious  sluggard  compared  with  whom  his 
neighbour  Serl  go-to-kirke  was  a  shining  example. 
Telfer  is  Fr.  taille-fer,  the  iron  cleaver,  and  Henry  II. 's 
yacht  captain  was  Alan  Trencheiner,  the  sea  cleaver. 
He  had  a  contemporary  named  Ventados,  wind  abaft. 

^  In  one  day's  reading  I  came  across  the  following  :  Baillebien 
(give  good),  Baysedame  (kiss  lady),  Esveillechien  (wake  dog), 
Lievelance  (raise  lance),  Metlefrein  (put  the  bridle),  Tracepurcel 
(track  hog),  Turnecotel  (turn  coat),  together  with  the  native  Cache- 
hare  and  Hoppeschort. 

2  The  name  is  still  found  in  the  same  county.  Undergraduates 
contemporary  with  the  author  occasionally  slaked  their  thirst  at 
a  riverside  inn  kept  by  Bathsheba  Gotobed. 


MISCELLANEOUS  207 

Slocomb  has  assumed  a  local  aspect,  but  may  very 
well  correspond  to  Fr.  Tardif  or  Ger.  Milhsam,  applied 
to  some  ^^'eary  Willie  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Doiihtfire 
is  a  misspelling  of  dout-fwe,  from  the  dialect  doi4t,  to 
extinguish  (do  out),  formed  like  don  and  doff.  Fullalove, 
which  does  not  belong  to  the  same  formation,  is  also 
found  as  pletn  d' amour — 

"Of  Sir  Lybeux  and  Plcyndamouy"  (B,  J090) — 

and  corresponds  to  Ger.  LiebevoU.  Waddilovc  actually 
occurs  in  the  Hundred  Rolls  as  wade-in-lovc,  presumably 
a  nickname  conferred  on  some  medieval  Don  Juan. 

There  is  one  curious  little  group  of  nicknames  which 
seem  to  correspond  to  such  Latin  names  as  Piso, 
from  pisum,  a  pea,  and  Cicero,  from  cicer — 

"  Cicer,  a  small  pulse,  lesse  than  pease  "  (Cooper). 

Such  are  Barleycorn  and  Peppercorn,  the  former  found 
in  French  as  Graindorge.  The  rather  romantic  names 
Avenel  and  P  ever  el  seem  to  mean  very  much  the  same, 
from  Lat.  avena,  oats,  and  piper,  pepper.  In  fact 
Peverel  is  found  in  Domesday  as  Piperellus,  and  Pep- 
perell  still  exists.  With  these  may  be  mentioned 
Carbonel,  corresponding  to  the  French  surname  Char- 
bonneau,  a  little  coal. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

ADJECTIVAL   NICKNAMES 

"  The  man  replied  that  he  did  not  know  the  object  of  the  building  ; 
and  to  make  it  quite  manifest  that  he  really  did  not  know,  he  put 
an  adjective  before  the  word  '  object,'  and  another — that  is,  the 
same — before  the  word  '  building.'  With  that  he  passed  on  his 
way,  and  Lord  Jocelyn  was  left  marvelling  at  the  slender  resources 
of  our  language,  which  makes  one  adjective  do  duty  for  so  many 
qualifications." 

(Besant,  All  Sorts  and  Conditions  of  Men,  ch.  xxxviii.) 

The  rejection  by  the  British  workman  of  all  adjectives 
but  one  is  due  to  the  same  imaginative  poverty  which 
makes  the  adjective  "  nice  "  supreme  in  refined  circles, 
and  which  limits  the  schoolgirl  to  "  ripping"  and  her 
more  self-conscious  brother  to  the  tempered  "  decent." 
But  dozens  of  useful  adjectives,  now  either  obsolete  or 
banished  to  rustic  dialect,  are  found  among  our  sur- 
names. The  tendency  to  accompany  every  noun  by  an 
adjective  seems  to  belong  to  some  deep-rooted  human 
instinct.  To  this  is  partly  due  the  Protean  character 
of  this  part  of  speech,  for  the  word,  like  the  coin, 
becomes  dulled  and  worn  in  circulation  and  needs  peri- 
odically to  be  withdrawn  and  replaced.  An  epithet 
which  is  complimentary  in  one  generation  is  ironical 
in  the  next  and  eventually  offensive.  Moody,  with 
its  northern  form  Mudie,  which  now  means  morose, 
was  once  valiant  (p.  5),  and  pert,  surviving  in  the 
name  Peart,  meant  active,  brisk,  etc. — 

"  Awake  the  pert  and  nimble  spirit  of  mirth." 

(Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  i.   i.) 
208 


ARCHAIC    MEANINGS  209 

To  interpret  an  adjectival  nickname  we  must  go  to 
its  meaning  in  Chaucer  and  his  contemporaries.  Silly, 
Seeley,  Scely — 

"This  sely,  innocent  Custance  "   (B,  682) — 

still  means  innocent  when  we  speak  of  the  "  silly 
sheep "  and  happy  in  the  phrase  "  silly  Suffolk." 
It  is  cognate  with  Ger.  selig,  blessed,  often  used  in 
speaking  of  the  dead.  We  have  a  compound  in 
Sillifant,  simple  child  (see  p.  94),  and  Selibarn  has 
become  Silhurn.  Scely  was  also  used  for  Cecil  or  Cecilia. 
Sadd  was  once  sedate  and  steadfast — 

"  But  thogh  this  maj'de  tendre  were  of  age. 
Yet  in  the  brest  of  hire  virginitee 
Ther  was  enclosed  rype  and  sad  corage  " 

(E,  218); 

and  as  late  as  1660  we  find  a  book  in  defence  of 
Charles  I.  described  as — 

"  A  sad  and  impartial  inquiry  whether  the  King  or  Parliament 
began  the  war." 

Stout,  valiant,  now  used  euphemistically  for  fat,  is 
cognate  with  Ger.  stolz,  proud,  and  possibly  with  Lat. 
stultus,  foolish.  The  three  ideas  are  not  incompatible, 
for  fools  are  notoriously  proud  of  their  folly  and  are 
said  to  be  less  subject  to  fear  than  the  angels.  Sturdy, 
Sturdee,  once  meant  rebellious,  pig-headed — 

"  Sturdy,  unbuxum,  rebellis,  contiimax,  inobediens." 

[Prompt.    Parv.) 

Cotgrave  offers  a  much  wider  choice  for  the  French 
original — 

"  Estourdi  [etourdi),  dulled,  amazed,  astonished,  dizzie-headed, 
or  whose  head  seemes  very  much  troubled  ;  (hence)  also,  heedlesse, 
inconsiderate,  unadvised,  witlesse,  uncircumspect,  rash,  retchlesse, 
or  carelesse  ;  and  sottish,  blockish,  lumpish,  lusk-like,  without  life, 
metall,  spirit." 

15 


210  ADJECTIVAL  NICKNAMES 

Sly  and  its  variant  Sleigh  have  degenerated  in  the  same 
way  as  crafty  and  cunning,  both  of  which  once  meant 
skilled.  Chaucer  calls  the  wings  of  Daedalus  "  his 
playes  stye,"  i.e.  his  ingenious  contrivances.  Quick 
meant  alert,  lively,  as  in  "  the  quick  and  the  dead." 
Slight,  cognate  with  Ger.  schlecht,  bad,  once  meant 
plain  or  simple. 

Many  adjectives  which  are  quite  obsolete  in  literary 
English  survive  as  surnames.  Mid.  English  Lyte  has 
been  supplanted  by  its  derivative  Little,  the  opposite 
pair  surviving  as  Mutch  and  Mickle.  The  poor  parson 
did  not  fail — 

"  In  siknesse  nor  in  meschief  to  visite 
The  ferreste  in  his  parisshe,  nuiche  and  lyte." 

(A,  493-) 

We  have  for  Lyte  also  the  imitative  Light ;  cf.  Light- 
wood.  With  Little  may  be  mentioned  Murch,  an 
obsolete  word  for  dwarf — 

"  Murch,  lytyl  man,  vanns." 

(Prompt.  Pan'.) 

Lenain  is  a  fairly  common  name  in  France.  Snell, 
swift  and  valiant,  had  become  a  personal  name  in 
Anglo-Saxon,  but  we  fmd  le  snel  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
Freake,  Frick,  also  meant  valiant  or  warrior — 

"  Ther  was  no  freke  that  ther  wolde  flye  " 

(Chevy  Chase)  ; 

but  the  Prompt.  Parv.  makes  it  equivalent  to  Craske 

(p.  212)— 

"  Fryke,  or  craske,  in  grete  helth,  crassus." 

It  is  cognate  with  Ger.  frech,  which  now  means  impu- 
dent. Nott  has  already  been  mentioned  (p.  i6).  Of 
the  Yeoman  we  are  told — 

"  A  )iot  hed  hadde  he,  with  a  broun  visage." 

(A.   109.) 


DISGUISED    SPELLINGS  211 

Stark,  cognate  with  starch,  now  usually  means  stiff, 
rather  than  strong — 

"  I  feele  my  l>'mes  stark  and  suffisaunt 
To  do  al  that  a  man  bilongeth  to." 

(E,  1458.) 

But  Stark  is  often  for  an  earlier  Sterk  (cf.  Clark  and 
Clerk),  which  represents  Mid.  Eng.  stirk,  a  heifer.  In 
the  cow  with  the  crumpled  horn  we  have  a  derivative 
of  Mid.  Eng.  cnitn,  crooked,  whence  the  names  Crum 
and  Crump.  Ludwig's  German  Diet.  (1715)  explains 
krummas  "crump,  crooked,  wry."  The  name  Crook 
generally  has  the  same  meaning,  the  Ger.  Krummhein 
corresponding  to  our  northern  Cruikshank.  Glegg 
(Scand.),  clear-sighted,  has  been  confused  with  Clegg 
(Welsh),  a  rock. 

There  are  some  adjectival  surnames  which  are  not 
immediately  recognizable.  Bolt,  when  not  local  (p.  133), 
is  for  bold,  Leaf  is  imitative  for  lief,  i.e.  dear.  Dear 
itself  is  of  course  hopelessly  mixed  up  with  Deer.  The 
timorous-looking  Fear  is  Fr.  le  fier,  the  proud  or  fierce. 
Skey  is  an  old  form  of  shy  ;  Bligh  is  for  Blyth ;  Hendy 
and  Henty  are  the  same  word  as  handy,  and  had  in 
Mid.  EngHsh  the  sense  of  helpful,  courteous — 

"  Oure  hoost  tho  spak,  '  A,  sire,  ye  sholde  be  hende 
And  curteys,  as  a  man  of  youre  estat.'  " 

(D,   1286.) 

For  Savage  we  find  also  the  archaic  spelling  Salvage 
(Lat.  silvatictis) .  Curtis  is  Norman  Fr.  curteis  {courtois). 
The  adjective  garish,  now  only  poetical,  but  once 
commonly  applied  to  gaudiness  in  dress,  has  given 
Ger  risk.  Quaint,  which  has  so  many  meanings  inter- 
mediate between  its  etymological  sense  of  known  or 
familiar  (Lat.  cognitus)  and  its  present  sense  of  unusual 
or  unfamiliar,  survives  as  Quint.     But  Coy  is  local, 


212  ADJECTIVAL  NICKNAMES 

from  Quy  (Cambridgeshire).  The  name  Neish  repre- 
sents the  famihar  Midland  adjective  nesh,  over-dehcate, 
namby-pamby,  Craske  is  an  East  AngHan  word  for 
fat,  and  C rouse  is  used  in  the  north  for  sprightly, 
confident.  To  these  we  may  add  Ketch,  Kedge,  Gedgc, 
from  an  East  Anglian  adjective  meaning  lively — 

"  Kygge,  or  joly,  jocundus  "  (Prompt.  Parv.) — 

and  Spragg,  etymologically  akin  to  Spry.  Bragg  was 
once  used  for  bold  or  brave,  without  any  uncompli- 
mentary suggestion.  The  New  English  Dictionary 
quotes  [c.  1310)  from  a  lyric  poem — 

"  That  maketh  iis  so  brag  and  bolde 
And  biddeth  us  ben  blythe." 

Crease  is  a  West-country  word  for  squeamish,  but 
the  East  Anglian  name  Creasey,  Crcssy,  is  for  the  local 
Kersey  (Suffolk).  The  only  solution  of  Pratt  is  that 
it  is  Anglo-Sax.  prcBtt,  cunning,  adopted  early  as  a 
personal  name,  while  Storr,  of  Scandinavian  origin, 
means  big,  strong.  It  is  cognate  with  Steer,  a  bull. 
Devey  and  Dombey  seem  to  be  the  diminutive  forms 
of  deaf  and  dumb,  which  are  still  used  in  dialect  in 
reference  to  persons  thus  afflicted.  We  fmd  in  French 
and  German  surnames  corresponding  to  these  very 
natural  nicknam.es.  Cf.  Crovihie  from  Cruni  (p.  211). 
A  large  proportion  of  our  adjectival  nicknames  are 
of  French  origin.  Le  hel  appears  not  only  as  Bell  but 
also,  through  Picard,  as  Beal.  Other  examples  are 
Boon,  Bone,  Bunn  (bon).  Grant  (grand),  Bass  (bas) 
and  its  derivative  Bassett,  Dasent  (decent),  Follett  and 
FoUiott,  dim.  of  fol  (fou),  mad,  which  also  appears  in 
the  compound  Foljamhe.  Mordaunt  means  biting. 
Power  is  Anglo-Fr.  le  poure  (le  pauvre)  and  Grace  is 


FRENCH    ADJECTIVES  213 

for  Ic  gms,  the  fat.  Joliffe  represents  the  Old  French 
form  of  joli — 

"This  Absolon,  that  jolif  was  and  gay, 
Gooth  with  a  sencer  (censer)  on  the  haUday." 

(A,  3339-) 

Prynnc,  now  Pying,  is  Anglo-Fr.  le  prin,  the  first,  from 
the  Old  French  adjective  which  survives  in  ^nwtemps. 
Cf.  our  name  Prime  and  the  French  name  Premier. 
The  Old  French  adjective  Gent,  now  replaced  by  gentil, 
generally  means  slender  in  ^lid.  English — 

"  Fair  was  this  yonge  wyf,  and  therwithal 
As  any  wezele  hir  body  gent  and  smal." 

(A,   zzro) 

Begg  is  in  some  cases  le  begue,  the  stammerer.  In 
Prowse  and  Prout  we  have  the  nominative  and  objective 
(see  p.  9,  n.)  of  an  Old  French  adjective  now  repre- 
sented by  preux  and  prude,  generally  thought  to  be 
related  in  some  way  to  Lat.  pro  in  prosum,  and 
perhaps  the  source  of  our  Proud. 

Gross  is  of  course  Fr.  le  gros,  but  Grote  represents  Du. 
groot,  great,  probably  unconnected  with  the  French 
word.  The  Devonshire  name  Coffin,  which  is  found  in 
that  county  in  the  twelfth  century,  is  the  same  as 
Caffyn,  and  both  are  the  Fr.  Chauvin,  bald,  the  name 
of  the  theologian  whom  we  know  better  in  the  latinized 
form  Calvin.  Here  belongs  probably  Shovel,  Fr. 
Chauvel.  We  also  have  the  simple  Chaffe,  Old  Fr. 
chauf  (chauve),  bald.  Gaylard,  sometimes  made  into 
the  imitative  Gaylord,  is  Fr.  gaillard,  brisk,  lively — 

"  Gaillard  he  was  as  goldfvnch  in  the  shawe." 

(A,  4367.) 

Especially  common  are  colour  nicknames,  generally 
due  to  the  complexion,  but  sometimes  to  the  garb. 
As  we  have  already  seen  (p.  149),  Black  and  its  variant 


214  ADJECTIVAL  NICKNAMES 

Blake  sometimes  mean  pale.  Blagg  is  the  same  word  ; 
cf.  Blagrave  (see  p.  no).  White  has  no  doubt  been 
reinforced  by  wight,  valiant — 

"  Oh  for  one  hour  of  Wallace  wight 
Or  well-skilled  Bruce  to  rule  the  fight." 

[Marmion,  vi.   20.) 

As  an  epithet  applied  to  the  hair  we  often  find  Hoar; 
cf.  Horlock.  Redd  is  rare,  the  usual  forms  being  the 
northern  Reid,  Reed,  Read  ;  but  we  also  have  Rudd  from 
Anglo-Sax.  rtid,  whence  ruddy  and  the  name  Ruddock, 
really  a  bird  nickname,  the  redbreast.  To  these  must 
be  added  Rudge,  Fr.  rouge,  Rouse,  Rush  and  Russ,  Fr. 
roux,  and  Russell  or  Rowsell,  Old  Fr.  roussel  {Rousseau). 
The  commonest  nickname  for  a  fair-haired  person  was 
Blunt,  Blount,  Fr.  blond,  with  its  dim.  Blundell,  but 
the  true  English  name  is  Fairfax,  from  Anglo-Sax. 
feax,  hair.  The  New  English  Dictionary  quotes  from 
the  fifteenth  century — 

"  Then  they  lowsyd  hur  fey  re  faxe. 
That  was  yelowe  as  the  waxe." 

The  adjective  dun  was  once  a  regular  name,  like 
Dobbin  or  Dapple,  for  a  cart-horse ;  hence  the  name  of 
the  old  rural  sport  "  Dun  in  the  mire  " — 

"  If  thou  art  dun  we'll  draw  thee  from  the  mire." 

(Romeo  and  Juliet,  i.  4.) 

It  is  possible  that  the  name  Dt0in  is  sometimes  due 
to  this  specific  application  of  the  word.  The  colour 
blue  appears  as  Blew — 

"At  last  he  rose,  and  twitch'd  his  mantle  blew: 
To-morrow  to  fresh  woods  and  pastures  new  " 

[Lycidas,  1.   192)— 

and  earlier  still  as  Blow — 

"  Blak,  bio,  grenysh,  swartysh,  reed." 

[House  of  Fame,  iii.   5 57-) 


COLOUR    NAMES  215 

Other  colour  names  of  French  origin  are  Morel, 
swarthy,  hke  a  Moor,  also  found  as  Murrell,^  and  Burnell, 
Burnett,  dims,  of  brun,  brown.     Chaucer  speaks  of — 

"  Daun  2  Biirncl  the  asse  "  (B,  4502); 
"  Daun  Russel  the  fox  "   (B,  4524.) 

But  both  Burnell  and  Burnett  may  also  be  local  from 
places  ending  in  -kill  and  -head  (p.  126),  and  Burnett  is 
sometimes  for  Burnard.  The  same  applies  to  Burrell, 
usually  taken  to  be  from  ]\Iid.  Eng.  horel,  a  rough 
material,  Old  Fr.  hitrel  (bureau),  also  used  metaphori- 
cally in  the  sense  of  plain,  uneducated — 

' '  And  moore  we  seen  of  Cristes  secree  thynges 
Than  burcl  folk,  al  though  they  weren  kynges." 

(D,   1871.) 

The  name  can  equally  well  be  the  local  Burhill  or 
Bur  well. 

Murray  is  too  common  to  be  referred  entirely  to  the 
Scottish  name  and  is  sometimes  for  murrey,  dark  red 
(Fr.  mure,  mulberry).  It  may  also  represent  merry, 
in  its  variant  form  murie,  which  is  Mid.  English,  and 
not,  as  might  appear,  Amurrican — 

"  His  murie  men  comanded  he 
To  make  hym  bothe  game  and  glee." 

(B,  2029.) 

Pook,  of  uncertain  origin,  is  supposed  to  have  been  a 
dark  russet  colour.  Bayard,  a  derivative  of  bay, 
was  the  name  of  several  famous  war-horses.  Cf. 
Blank  and  Blanchard.  The  name  Soar  is  from  the 
Old  French  adjective  sor,  bright  yellow.  It  is  of 
Germanic  origin  and  cognate  with  sear.  The  dim. 
Sorrel  may  be  a  colour  name,  but  it  was  applied  in 

1  This,  like  Merrill,  is  sometimes  from  Muriel. 

2  Lat.  dominus,  the  masculine  form  of  dame  in  Old  French. 


2i6  ADJECTIVAL  NICKNAMES 

venery  to  a  buck  in  the  third  year,  of  course  in  refer- 
ence to  colour ;  and  some  of  our  names,  e.g.  Brocket 
and  Prickett,^  both  appUed  to  a  two-year-old  stag,  must 
sometimes  be  referred  to  this  important  department 
of  medieval  language.  Holofernes  uses  some  of  these 
terms  in  his  idiotic  verses — 

"  The  preyful  princess  pierc'd  and  prick'd  a  pretty  pleasing  pricket  ; 
Some  say  a  sore  ;  but  not  a  sore,  till  now  made  sore  with  shooting. 
The  dogs  did  yell  ;   put  I  to  sore,  then  sorel  jumps  from  thicket." 

{Love's  Labour's  Lost,  iv.  2.) 

A  few  adjective  nicknames  of  Celtic  origin  are  so 
common  that  they  may  be  included  here.  Such  are  the 
Welsh  Gough,  Goff,  Gooch,  Gutch,  red,  Gwynn  and 
Wynne,  white,  Lloyd,  grey,  Sayce,  Saxon,  foreigner, 
Vaughan,  little,  and  the  Gaelic  Bain,  Bean,  white, 
Boyd,  Bowie,  yellow-haired,  Dow,  Duff,  black,  Finn, 
fair,  Glass,  grey,  Roy,  Roe,  red.  From  Cornish  come 
Goad,  old,  and  Couch,  red,  while  Bean  is  the  Cornish 
for  small,  and  Tyacke  means  a  farmer.  It  is  likely 
that  both  Begg  and  Moore  owe  something  to  the  Gaelic 
adjectives  for  little  and  big,  as  in  the  well-known 
names  of  Galium  Beg,  Edward  Waverley's  gillie,  and 
McCallum  More.  The  Gaelic  Begg  is  cognate  with  the 
Welsh  Vaughan.  Two  other  famous  Highland  nick- 
names which  are  very  familiar  in  England  are  Cameron, 
crooked  nose,  and  Campbell,  wry  mouth.  With  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  Irish  Kennedy,  ugly  head,  the 
name  of  the  father  of  Brian  Boru. 

1  Both  words  are  connected  with  the  spiky  young  horns,  Fr. 
broche,  spit,  being  applied  in  venery  to  the  pointed  horns  of  the 
second  year. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

BIRDS,    BEASTS,    AND    FISHES 

"  As   I   think   I   have  already  said,   one   of  Umslopogaas'    Zulu 
names  was  The  Woodpecker." 

(Haggard,  Allan  Qiiatermain,  ch.  vii.) 

The  great  majority  of  nicknames  coming  under  the 
headings  typified  by  Bird  and  Fowell,  Best,  and  Fish  or 
Fisk  (Scand.)  are  easily  identified.  But  here,  as  every- 
where in  the  subject,  pitfalls  abound.  The  name  Best 
itself  is  an  example  of  a  now  misleading  spelling  re- 
tained for  obvious  reasons — 

"  First,  on  the  wal  was  peynted  a  forest, 
In  which  ther  dwelleth  neither  man  nor  best." 

(A,   1976.) 

We  do  not  find  exotic  animals,  nor  even  the  beasts  of 
heraldry,  at  all  frequently.  Leppard,  leopard,  is  in 
some  cases  for  the  Ger.  Liebhart ;  and  Griffin,  when 
not  Welsh,  should  no  doubt  be  included  among  inn- 
signs.      Oliphant,  i.e.  elephant —  • 

"  For  maystow  surmounten  thise  oli fannies  in  gretnesse  or  weighte 
of  body  "  (Boece,  7?i2) — 

may  be  a  genuine  nickname,  but  Roland's  ivory  horn 
was  also  called  by  this  name,  and  the  surname  may 
go  back  to  some  legendary  connection  of  the  same  kind. 
Bear  is  not  uncommon,  captive  bears  being  familiar 
to  a  period  in  which  the  title  bear-ward  is  frequently 
met  with.     It  is  possible  that  Drake  ma}'  sometimes 

217 


2i8  BIRDS,   BEASTS,   AND  [FISHES 

represent  Anglo-Sax.  draca,  dragon,  rather  than  the 
bird,  but  the  latter  is  unmistakable  in  Sheldrick,  for 
sheldrake.  As  a  rule,  animal  nicknames  were  taken 
rather  from  the  domestic  species  with  which  the 
peasantry  were  familiar  and  whose  habits  would  readily 
suggest  comparisons,  generally  disparaging,  with  those 
of  their  neighbours. 

Bird  names  are  especially  common,  and  it  does  not 
need  much  imagination  to  see  how  readily  and  naturally 
a  man  might  be  nicknamed  Hawke  for  his  fierceness, 
Crowe  from  a  gloomy  aspect,  or  Nightingale  for  the  gift 
of  sweet  song.  Many  of  these  surnames  go  back  to 
words  which  are  now  either  obsolete  or  found  only  in 
dialect.  The  peacock  was  once  the  Poe,  an  early  loan 
from  Lat.  -pavo,  or,  more  fully,  Pocock — 

"  A  sheaf  of  pocok  arwes,  bright  and  kene. 
Under  his  belt  he  bar  ful  thriftily." 

(A,   104.) 

The  name  Pay  is  another  form  of  the  same  word. 
Coe,  whence  Hedgecoe,  is  an  old  name  for  the  jackdaw — 

"  Cadow,  or  coo,  or  chogh  (chough),  monedula  " 

{Prompt.  Payv.)— 

but  may  also  stand  for  cow,  as  we  find,  in  defiance  of 
gender  and  sex,  such  entries  as  Robert  le  cow,  William 
le  vache.  Those  birds  which  have  now  assumed  a  font- 
name,  such  as  Jack  daw,  Mag  pie,  of  course  occur  with- 
out it  as  surnames,  e.g.  Daw  and  Pye — 

"The  thief  the  chough,  and  eek  the  jangelyng  pye  " 

(Parliament  of  Fowls,  305). 

The  latter  has  a  dim.  Pyatt. 

Rainbird  is  a  local  name  for  the  green  woodpecker. 
As  a  surname  it  may  also,  like  Rainbow,  be  an  imitative 
form   of   Fr.   Rimbaud  or  Raimbaud,   identical  with 


BIRDS  •  219 

Anglo-Sax.  Regenbeald.  Knott  is  the  name  of  a  bird 
which  frequents  the  sea-shore  and,  mindful  of  Cnut's 
wisdom,  retreats  nimbly  before  the  advancing  surf — 

"  The  knot  that  called  was  Canutus'  bird  of  old." 

(Drayton,  Polyolbion,  xxv.  368.) 

This  historical  connection  is  most  probably  due  to 
folk-etymology.  Titnms  is  of  course  for  tit-mouse. 
Dialect  names  for  the  woodpecker  survive  in  Speight, 
Speke,  and  Spick,  Pick.  The  same  bird  was  also 
called  woodwall — 

"  In  many  places  were  nyghtyngales, 
Alpes,  fynches,  and  wodewales  " 

{Romaunt  of  the  Rose,  567) — 

hence,  in  some  cases,  the  name  Woodall.  The  Alpe, 
or  bullfinch,  mentioned  in  the  above  lines,  also  survives 
as  a  surname.  Dunnock  and  Pinnock  are  dialect  names 
for  the  sparrow.  It  was  called  in  Anglo-Norman 
muisson,  whence  Musson.  Starling  is  a  dim.  of  Mid. 
Eng.  stare,  which  has  itself  given  the  surname  Starr — 

"  The  stare,  that  the  counseyl  can  be-wrye." 

[Parliament  of  Fowls,  348.) 

Heron  is  the  French  form  of  the  bird-name  which  was 
in  English  Heme — 

"  I  come  from  haunts  of  coot  and  hern." 

(Tennyson,  The  Brook,  1.   i.) 

The  Old  French  dim.  heronceau  also  passed  into 
English — 

"  I  wol  nat  tellen  of  hir  strange  sewes  (courses), 
Ne  of  hir  swannes,  ne  of  hire  heronsewes." 

(F,  67.) 

As  a  surname  it  has  been  assimilated  to  the  local, 
and  partly  identical,  Hearnshaw  (p.  no).  Some  com- 
mentators go  to  this  word  to  explain  Hamlet's  use  of 
handsaw — 


220  BIRDS,   BEASTS,   AND  FISHES 

"  I  am  but  mad  north-north-west  :    when  the  wind  is  southerly, 
I  know  a  hawk  from  a  handsaw"  {Hamlet,  ii.  2). 

When  the  author's  father  was  a  boy  in  Suffolk  seventy 
years  ago,  the  local  name  for  the  bird  was  pronounced 
exactly  like  answer.  Grew  is  Fr.  gritc,  crane,  Lat.  grus, 
gru-.  Butter,  Fr.  btitor,  "  a  bittor  "  (Cotgrave),  is  a 
dialect  name  for  the  bittern,  called  a  "  butter-bump  " 
by  Tennyson's  Northern  Farmer  (1.  31).  Culver 
is  a  very  early  loan-word  from  Latin — 

"  Columba,  a  culver,  a  dove  " 

(Cooper) — 

hence  the  local  Culverhouse.  Dove  often  becomes  Duff. 
Whichello,  which  can  be  seen  both  in  Cambridge  and 
Hammersmith,  is  Ital,  uccello,  identical  with  Fr.  oiseau, 
Vulgar  Lat.  avicellus.  Popjoy  may  have  been  applied 
to  the  successful  archer  who  became  king  of  the 
popinjay  for  the  year.  The  derivation  of  the  word. 
Old   Fr.  papegai,  whence  Mid.  Eng.  papejay — 

"  The  briddes  synge,  it  is  no  nay. 

The  sparhawk  and  the  papejay. 

That  joye  it  was  to  heere  " 

(B,   1956)— 

is  obscure,  though  various  forms  of  it  are  found  in 
most  of  the  European  languages.  In  English  it  was 
applied  not  only  to  the  parrot,  but  also  to  the  green 
woodpecker.  The  London  Directory  form  is  Pohgee. 
With  bird  nicknames  may  be  mentioned  Callow,  un- 
fledged, cognate  with  Lat.  calvus,  bald.  Its  opposite 
also  survives  as  Fleck  and  Flick — 

"  Flygge,  as  byrdis,  maturus,  volabilis." 

{Prompt.  Parv.) 

Margaret  Paston,  writing  (1460)  of  the  revived  hopes  of 
Henry  VI.,  says — 

"  Now  he  and  alle  his  olde  felawship  put  owt  their  fynnes,  and 
aru  ryght  flygge  and  mery." 


HAWK    NAMES  221 

We  have  naturally  a  set  of  names  taken  from  the 
various  species  of  falcons.  To  this  class  belongs 
Haggard,  probably  related  to  Anglo-Sax.  haga,  hedge, 
and  used  of  a  hawk  which  had  acquired  incurable  habits 
of  wildness  by  preying  for  itself.  But  Haggard  is  also 
a  personal  name  (p.  81).  Spark,  earlier  Sparhawk,  is 
the  sparrow-hawk.  It  is  found  already  in  Anglo-Saxon 
as  a  personal  name,  which  accounts  for  the  patronymic 
Sparks.  Tassell  is  a  corruption  of  tiercel,  a  name  given 
to  the  male  goshawk,  so  termed,  according  to  the 
legendary  lore  of  venery — 

"  Because  he  is,  commonly,  a  third  part  lesse  than  the  female." 

(Cotgrave. ) 

Juliet  calls  Romeo  her  "  tassell  gentle  "  (ii.  2),  Muskett 
was  a  name  given  to  a  very  small  hawk — 

"  Musket,  a  lytell  hauke,  moiichet." 

(Palsgrave.) 

Mushet  is  the  same  name.  It  comes  from  Ital. 
moschetto,  a  little  fly.  For  its  later  application  to  a 
firearm  cf.  falconet.  Other  names  of  the  hawk  class 
are  Buzzard  and  Puttock,  i.e.  kite — 

"  Milan,  a  kite,  puttock,  glead  " 

(Cotgrave) ; 

and  to  the  same  bird  we  owe  the  name  Gleed,  from  a 
Scandinavian  name  for  the  bird — 

"  And  the  glede,  and  the  kite,  and  the  vulture  after  his  kind." 

(Deut.  xiv.  13.) 

To  this  class  also  belongs  Ramage — 

"  Ramage,  of,  or  belonging  to,  branches  ;    also,  ramage,  hagard, 
wild,  homely,  rude  "  (Cotgrave) — 

and  sometimes  Lennard,  an  imitative  form  of  the 
inferior  hawk  called  a  lanner — 

"  Falcunculus,  a  leonard." 

(Holyoak,  Lat.  Diet.,  161 2.) 


222  BIRDS,   BEASTS,   AND  FISHES 

Povey  is  a  dialect  name  for  the  owl,  and  Howlett  is  not 
always  a  double  dim.  of  Hugh  (p.  59). 

Among  beast  nicknames  we  find  special  attention 
given,  as  in  modern  vituperation,  to  the  swine,  although 
we  do  not  find  this  true  English  word,  unless  it  be  oc- 
casionally disguised  as  Swain.  Hogg  does  not  belong 
exclusively  to  this  class,  as  it  is  used  in  dialect  both 
of  a  young  sheep  and  a  yearling  colt.  Anglo-Sax. 
sugu,  sow,  survives  in  Sugg.  Purcell  is  Old  Fr.  ponrcel 
(pourceau),  dim.  of  Lat.  porcus,  and  I  take  Pockett 
to  be  a  disguised  form  of  the  obsolete  porket — 

"  Porciilus,  a  pygg  :    a  shoote  :   a  porket." 

(Cooper.) 

The  word  shoote  in  the  above  gloss  is  now  the  dialect 
shot,  a  young  pig,  which  has  given  the  surname  Shott. 
But  Scutt  is  from  a  Mid.  English  adjective  meaning 
short — 

"  Scute,  or  shorte,  curtus,  hrevis  " 

(Prompt.  Parv.) — 

and  is  also  an  old  name  for  the  hare.  Two  other  names 
for  the  pig  are  the  northern  Gait  and  the  Lincolnshire 
Grice — 

"  Marcassin,  a  young  wild  boare  ;  a  shoot  or  grice." 

(Cotgrave.) 

Grice  also  represents  le  gris,  the  grey ;  cf .  Grace 
for  le  gras  (p.  212).  Bacon  is  occasionally  found  as 
le  bacon,  presumably  a  bacon-hog,  but  it  is  generally  a 
personal  name.  As  it  is  common  in  French,  it  would 
appear  to  be  an  Old  French  accusative  to  Back,  going- 
back  to  Germanic  Bacco  (see  p.  125).  Hinks  is  Mid. 
Eng.  hengst,  a  stallion,  and  is  thus  identical  with  Hengist 
(p.  186).  S/o^^  means  both  a  bullock  and  a  nag  (p.  179). 
Everyone  remembers  Wamba's  sage  disquisition  on 
the  names  of  animals  in  the  first  chapter  of  Ivanhoc. 


BEASTS  223 

Like  much  of  Scott's  archaeology  it  is  a  little  anachron- 
istic, for  the  live  animals  were  also  called  veals  and 
muttons  for  centuries  after  Wamba's  death — 

"  Mouton,  a  mutton,  a  weather";  "veau,  a  calfe,  or  veale." 

(Cotgrave.) 

Calf  has  become  very  rare  as  a  surname,  though  Kalb 
is  still  common  in  Germany.  Bardsley  regards  Duncalf 
and  Metcalf  as  perverted  from  dun-croft  and  meadow- 
croft.  It  seems  possible  that  they  may  be  for  down- 
calf  and  mead-calf,  from  the  locality  of  the  pasture, 
but  this  is  a  pure  guess  on  my  part.  It  is  curious  that 
beef  does  not  appear  to  have  survived,  though  Lebceuf 
is  common  in  French,  and  bullocks  are  still  called 
"  beeves  "  in  Scotland.  Tegg  is  still  used  by  butchers 
for  a  two-year-old  sheep.  Palsgrave  gives  it  another 
meaning — 

"  Tegg,  or  pricket  (p.  216),  saillant." 

Roe  is  also  found  in  the  older  forms  Rae  and  Ray,  of 
course  confused  with  Wray  (p.  127),  as  Roe  itself  is 
with  Rowe  (p.  9).  Doe  often  becomes  Dowe.  Hind 
is  usually  occupative  (p.  35),  but  Fr.  Labiche  shows 
that  it  must  sometimes  be  a  nickname — 

"  Biche,  a  hind  ;    the  female  of  a  stagge." 

(Cotgrave.) 

Pollard  was  applied  to  a  beast  or  stag  that  had  lost  its 
horns — 

"  He  has  no  horns,  sir,  has  he  ?  " 
"  No,  sir,  he's  a  pollard." 

(Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  Philaster,  v.  4.) 

Leverett  is  certified  by  the  French  surname  LevrauU. 
Derivation  from  Lever,  Anglo-Sax.  Leofhere,  whence 
Levers,  Leverson,  or  Leveson,  is  much  less  probable, 
as  these  Anglo-Saxon  names  rarely  form  dims,  (see 
p.  76).     Luttrel  is  in  French  Loutrel,  perhaps  a  dim.  of 


224  BIRDS,   BEASTS,   AND   FISHES 

loutre,  otter,  Lat.  lutra.  From  the  medieval  lutrer  or 
lutrarius,  otter  hunter,  we  get  Lutterer,  no  doubt  con- 
fused with  the  musical  Luter. 

While  Katt  is  fairly  common  in  the  eastern  counties, 
Robertus  le  chien  and  Willelmus  le  curve,  who  were 
living  about  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century,  are  now 
completely  disguised  as  Ken  and  Kerr.  Modern  French 
has  both  Lechien  and  the  Norman  Lequien}  We  owe 
a  few  other  surnames  to  the  friend  of  man.  Kennett, 
from  a  Norman  dim.  of  chien,  meant  greyhound — 

"  Kenette,  hounde,  leporarius." 

{Prompt.  Parv.) 

The  origin  of  the  name  Talbot  is  unknown,  and  it  is 
uncertain  whether  the  hound  or  the  family  should  have 
precedence  ;  but  Chaucer  seems  to  use  it  as  the  proper 
name  of  a  hound — 

"  Ran  Colle  our  dogge,  and  Talbot,  and  Gerland 
And  Malkyn,  with  a  dystaf  in  hir  hand." 

(B.  4573.) 

The  great  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  is  affectionately  called 
"  Talbot,  our  good  dogge  "  in  political  rhymes  of  the 
fifteenth  century. 

In  early  dictionaries  may  be  found  long  lists  of  the 
fanciful  names,  such  as  Bright,  Lightfoot,  Ranger,  Ring- 
wood,  Swift,  Tempest,  given  to  hounds.  This  practice 
seems  to  throw  some  light  on  such  surnames  as  Tempest, 
with  which  we  may  compare  the  German  names  Storm 
and  Sturm.  In  the  Pipe  Rolls  the  name  le  esturmi,  the 
stormy,  occurs  several  times.  To  the  same  class  belongs 
Thunder,  found  in  the  Pipe  Rolls  as  tonitruus,  and  not 
therefore  necessarily  a  perversion  of  T under,  i.e. 
Sherman  (p.  170) — 

1  Lehain,  the  name  of  a  famous  French  actor,  has  the  same  origin. 


FISHES  225 

"  Tondenr  dc  draps,  a  shearman,  or  clothworker." 

(Cotgrave.) 

Garland,  used  by  Chaucer  as  a  dog's  name,  was  earlier 
graland,  and,  as  le  garlaunde  is  also  found,  it  may  be 
referred  to  Old  Fr.  grailler,  to  trumpet.  It  is  no  doubt 
also  local. 

We  should  expect  Fox  to  be  strongly  represented, 
and  we  find  the  compounds  Coif  ox  and  Stelfox.  The 
first  means  black  fox — 

"  A  coif  ox  ful  of  sly  iniquitee  " 

(B,  4405)— 

and  I  conjecture  that  the  first  part  of  Stelfox  is  con- 
nected with  stealing,  as  in  the  medieval  name  stele-cat — 

"  The  two  constables  made  a  thorough  search  and  found  John 
Stelfox  hiding  behind  some  bushes.  Some  of  the  jewellery  was  found 
upon  him  "  {Daily  Chronicle,  June  3,  191 3). 

In  the  north  a  fox  is  called  Tod,  whence  Todhunter. 
This  Tod  is  probably  a  personal  name,  like  the  French 
Renard  and  the  Scottish  Lawrie  or  Lowrie,  applied 
to  the  same  animal.  Allan  Ramsay  calls  him  "  slee 
Tod  Lowrie."  From  the  badger  we  have  Brock  and 
sometimes  Gray — 

"  Blaireaxt,  a  badger,  gray,  boason,  brock  " 

(Cotgrave) — 

but  Badger  itself  is  occupative  (p.  181).  The  polecat 
survives  as  Fitch,  Fitchett,  and  Fitchew — 

"  Fissau,  a  fitch,  or  fulmart." 

(Cotgrave.) 

On  fish-names  Bardsley  remarks,  "  We  may  quote 
the  famous  chapter  on  '  Snakes  in  Iceland  '  :  '  There 
are  no  snakes  in  Iceland,'  and  say  there  are  no 
fish-names  in  England."  This  is  almost  true.  The 
absence  of  marked  traits  of  character  in  the,  usually 
16 


226  BIRDS.   BEASTS,   AND  FISHES 

invisible,  fish  would  militate  against  the  adoption  of 
such  names.  \\'e  should  not  expect  to  find  the  shark  to 
be  represented,  for  the  word  is  of  too  late  occurrence. 
But  Whale  is  fairly  common.  Whale  the  mariner 
received  £2  from  Henry  VII. 's  privy  purse  in  1498. 
The  story  of  Jonah,  or  very  generous  proportions, 
may  have  originated  the  name  Whalebelly,  "  borne 
by  a  respectable  family  in  south-east  England " 
(Bardsley) . 

But  there  would  obviously  be  no  great  temptation  to 
go  fishing  for  nicknames  when  the  beasts  of  the  farm- 
yard and  the  forest,  the  birds  of  the  marshes  and  the 
air,  offered  on  every  side  easily  understood  comparisons. 
At  the  same  time  Bardsley's  statement  goes  a  little 
too  far.  He  explains  Gudgeon  as  a  corruption  of 
Goodison.  But  this,  true  though  it  may  be  in  some 
cases,  will  not  explain  the  very  common  French  sur- 
name Goujon.  The  phrase  "  greedy  gudgeon  "  suggests 
that  in  this  case  a  certain  amount  of  character  had 
been  noticed  in  the  fish.  Sturgeon  also  seems  to  be 
a  genuine  fish-name.  We  find  Fr.  Lesturgeon  and  Ger. 
Stoer,  both  meaning  the  same.  We  have  also  Smelt 
and  the  synonymous  Spitrling.  In  French  and  German 
we  find  other  surnames  which  undoubtedly  belong  to 
this  class,  but  they  are  not  numerous  and  probably  at 
first  occurred  only  in  regions  where  fishing  or  fish- 
curing  were   important   industries. 

A  few  examples  will  show  that  apparent  fish-names 
are  usually  not  genuine.  Chnbb  is  for  Job  (p.  32), 
Eeles  is  one  of  the  numerous  derivatives  of  Elias 
(p.  85),  Hake  is,  like  Hack,  from  the  Scandinavian 
Haco,  Haddock  is  a  perversion  of  the  local  Haydock, 
Lamprey  I  take  to  be  Fr.  long-pre,  long  meadow. 
We  find  the  halfway  form  in  Fr.  Lompre.     Pike  is 


SPECIAL  FEATURES  227 

local  (p.  107),  Pilchard  is  for  Pilcher  (p.  171),  Roach  is 
Fr.  Laroche,  Salmon  is  for  Salomon,  and  Turhot  is  the 
Anglo-Sax.  Thurbeorht,  which  has  also  given  Tarhiit, 
as  Thurgod  has  given  Targett.  Dolphin,  Herring, 
and  Spratt  or  Sprot  are  old  personal  names  possibly 
unconnected  with  the  corresponding  fish-names. 

We  have  also  many  surnames  due  to  physical  re- 
semblances not  extending  beyond  one  feature.  Birdseye 
may  be  sometimes  of  local  origin,  from  ey,  island 
(p.  117),  but  as  a  genuine  nickname  it  is  as  natural  as 
the  sobriquet  of  Hawkeye  which  Natty  Bumppo  re- 
ceived from  the  Hurons.  German  has  the  much  less 
pleasing  Gansauge,  goose-eye ;  and  Alan  oil  de  larrun, 
thief's  eye,  was  fined  for  very  reprehensible  conduct  in 
1 183.  To  explain  Crowfoot  as  an  imitative  variant 
of  Crawford  is  absurd  when  we  find  a  dozen  German 
surnames  of  the  same  class  and  formation  and  as  many 
in  Old  or  Modern  French  beginning  with  pied  de. 
Cf.  Pettigrew  (p.  201).  We  find  in  the  Paris  Directory 
not  only  Piedeleu  (Old  Fr.  kit,  wolf)  and  Piedoie, 
{oie,  goose),  but  even  the  full  Pied-de-Lievre,  Professeur 
a  la  Faculte  de  droit.  The  name  Bulleid  was  spelt  in 
the  sixteenth  century  bul-hed,  i.e.  bull-head,  a  literal 
rendering  of  Front  de  Boeuf.  Weatherhead  (p.  179)  is 
perhaps  usually  a  nickname — 

"  For  that  old  weather-headed  fool, I  know  how  to  laugh  at  him." 

(Congreve,   Love  for  Love,  ii.   7.) 

Coxhead  is  another  obvious  nickname.  A  careful 
analysis  of  some  of  the  most  important  medieval 
name-lists  would  furnish  hundreds  of  further  ex- 
amples, some  too  outspoken  to  have  survived  into 
our  degenerate  age,  and  others  which  are  now  so 
corrupted  that  their  original  vigour  is  quite  lost. 


228  BIRDS,   BEASTS,   AND   FISHES 

Puns  and  jokes  upon  proper  names  are,  face  Gregory 
the  Great  and  Shakespeare,  usually  very  inept  and 
stupid ;  but  the  following  lines  by  James  Smith,  which 
may  be  new  to  some  of  my  readers,  are  really  clever — 

Men  once  were  surnamed  from  their  shape  or  estate 

(You  all  may  from  History  worm  it)  ; 
There  was  Lewis  the  Bulky,  and  Henry  the  Great, 

John  Lackland,  and  Peter  the  Hermit. 
But  now,  when  the  door-plates  of  Misters  and  Dames 

Are  read,  each  so  constantly  varies 
From  the  owner's  trade,  figure,  and  calling,  Surnames 

Seem  given  by  the  rule  of  contraries. 


Mr.  Box,  though  provoked,  never  doubles  his  fist, 

Mr.  Burns,  in  his  grate,  has  no  fuel  ; 
Mr.  Playfair  won't  catch  me  at  hazard  or  whist, 

Mr.  Coward  was  wing'd  in  a  duel. 
Mr.  Wise  is  a  dunce,  I\Ir.  King  is  a  whig, 

Mr.  Coin's,  uncommonly  sprightly, 
And  huge  ]\Ir.  Little  broke  down  in  a  gig. 

While  driving  fat  INIrs.  Golightly. 


Mrs.  Drinkwater's  apt  to  indulge  in  a  dram, 

Mrs.  Angel's  an  absolute  fury. 
And  meek  Mr.  Lyon  let  fierce  Mr.  Lamb 

Tweak  his  nose  in  the  lobby  of  Drury. 
At  Bath,  where  the  feeble  go  more  than  the  stout, 

(A  conduct  well  worthy  of  Nero), 
Over  poor  Mr.  Lightfoot,  confined  with  the  gout, 

Mr.  Heaviside  danced  a  Bolero. 


]\Iiss  Joy,  wretched  maid,  when  she  chose  Mr.  Love, 

Found  nothing  but  sorrow  await  her  ; 
She  now  holds  in  wedlock,  as  true  as  a  dove, 

That  fondest  of  mates,  Mr.  Hayter. 
Mr.  Oldcastle  dwells  in  a  modern-built  hut. 

Miss  Sage  is  of  madcaps  the  archest  ; 
Of  all  the  queer  bachelors  Cupid  e'er  cut, 

Old  Mr.   Younghusband's  the  starchest. 


SURNAMES    GO   BY   CONTRARIES  229 

Mr.  Child,  in  a  passion,  knock'd  down  Mr.  Rock, 

Mr.  Stone  like  an  aspen-leaf  shivers  ; 
Miss  Poole  used  to  dance,  but  she  stands  like  a  stock 

Ever  since  she  became  Mrs.  Rivers  ; 
Mr.  Swift  hobbles  onward,  no  mortal  knows  how, 

He  moves  as  though  cords  had  entwin'd  him  ; 
Mr.  Metcalfe  ran  off,  upon  meeting  a  cow, 

With  pale  Mr.  Turnbiill  behind  him. 

Mr.  Barker's  as  mute  as  a  fish  in  the  sea, 

Mr.  Miles  never  moves  on  a  journey  ; 
Mr.  Gotobed  sits  up  till  half-after  three, 

:Mr.  Makepeace  was  bred  an  attorney. 
Mr.  Gardiner  can't  tell  a  flower  from  a  root, 

Mr.  Wilde  with  timidity  draws  back, 
Mr.  Ryder  performs  all  his  journeys  on  foot, 

Mr.  Foote  all  his  journeys  on  horseback. 

Mr.  Penny,  whose  father  was  rolling  in  wealth, 

Kick'd  down  all  his  fortune  his  dad  won; 
Large  Mr.  Le  Fever's  the  picture  of  health, 

Mr.  Goodenougk  is  but  a  bad  one. 
Mr.  Cruickshank  stept  into  three  thousand  a  year. 

By  showing  his  leg  to  an  heiress  : — 
Now  I  hope  you'll  acknowledge  I've  made  it  quite  clear 

That  surnames  ever  go  by  contraries. 


INDEX 

N.B. — Most  surnames  have  more  than  one  form,  many  have  over  a  score, 
and  some  have  over  a  hundred.  This  index,  consisting  of  about  3,500  names, 
will  contain  twice  or  thrice  as  many  for  the  reader  ivho  has  mastered  Ch.  Ill, 
on  sound  and  spelling.     It  includes  only  names  still  in  use. 


Abadie,    130 
Abbey,  5,   130 
Abbott,   5 
Abbs,   62,   84 
Abdey,   130 
A'Beckett,   22 
Ablewhite,   112 
Aboni,   115 
Ackroyd,   m 
Acland,  114,  iiS 
Acomb,    106 
A'Court,  22 
Acres,  12 
Acton,  118 
Adams,  84 

Adamson,    84 

Aday,  84 

Adcock,  84 

Addey,  84 

Addis,  84 

Addiscombe,   106 

Addison,  84 

Adds,   84 

Addy,   84 

Addyman,   84 

Ade,  84 

Adeane,  18,  22 

Adee,  84 

Ades,  84 

Adey,   84 

Adie,  84 

Adkin,  84 

Adkinson,  84 

Adler,  55 

Adnett,  84 

Adnitt,  84 

Adnot,   84 

Ady,   84 

Affleck,  30 

Agar,  69 

Agate,  18,  124 

Agnew,  63  n.  2 


Aguilar,  172 
Ainger,  100 
Aitken,  84 
Aked,    126 
Akenside,   126 
Alabaster,  i6g 
Alabone,  35 
Alcock,  65 
Alcott,    133 
Alder,  118 
Alderson,  73 
Aldred,  72 
Aldridge,   72 
Aldwin,    73 
Aldworth,  123 
Algernon,  200 
Allard,  8r 
AUbright.  71 
Allbutt,  71 
Allchin,  72 
Allen,  46 
A  liens  on,    no 
Allerton,  119 
Alley,  12S 
Allfrey,  60  n.  1 
Allgood,  71,  95 
Allman,  07 
AUnut,  72 
Allsop,  108 
Allum,  122 
Allvey,  69 
Allways,  191 
Allwood,  109 
Allworthy,  123 
AUwright,  72 
Almond,  72,  97 
Alpe,  2ig 
Alston,  69 
Alured,  60  n.  i 
Alwin,  46,  72 
Amaiit,  191 
Ambler,   200 

231 


Amery,  80 
Ames,  8r 
Amies,   81 
Amner,   186 
Amor,  20 
Amos,  81 
Amyas,  100 
Anderson,  25>  ^7 
Angel,  135 
Anger,  100 
Anguish,  99 
Ang'.vin,  100 
Anker,  167 
Annis,  88 
Ansell,   39 
Anson,  35 
Anstey,  gj. 
Anstiss,  94 
Applegarth,  11,  124 
Applegate,  124 
Applejohn,  67 
Applevard,  11 
Applin,  34 
Apps,  37 
Arber.  133 
Arblaster,  169 
^•\j:buckle,  39 
Arch,   127 
Archbold,  81 
Archbutt,  81 
Aris,   100 
Arkle,   71 
ArkwTight,  44 
Arlett,  193 
Arminger,  155 
Armitage,  130 
Armour,  36,  155 
Annstead,    122 
Arnett,  14,  38 
Arrow,   135 
Arrowsmith,   169 
Arter,  61 


212 


INDEX 


Arthur,  6i 
Ascham,  iiS 
Ash,  ii8 
Ashbeo,  122 
Ashburiier,  174 
Ashby,  97 
Ashdown,  106 
Asher,  174 
Ashman,  64 
Askell,   39 
Askwith,  117 
Aspinall,  39 
Asquith,  117 
Astill,  39 
Aston,  118 
Athill,  23 
Atkin,  84 
Atkins,  61,  84 
Atkinson,  84 
Atterbury,   122 
Attewell,  22,   104 
Atwodd,   104 
Aubrey,  82 
Aiiden,  73 
Auld,   31 
Austin,  87 
Auty,    14 
Aveiing,  35 
Avenarius,  148  n. 
Avenel,  207 
Averv,   82 
Ayliffe,  108 
Aylmer.  72 
Aylward,   73 
Ayre,  195 
Ayscough,   107 

Bacchus,  83,  132 
Back,  125 
Bacon,  222 
Badcock,   57 
Badenough,  106  n. 
Badger,  181 
Badman,  57 
Bagg,  75 
Bagshaw,   75 
Bagitcr,   149 
Bailey,  45,   183 
Bailhache,  205 
Bain,  216 
Baines,  138 
Baker,    148 
Balaam,  85 
Balderston,    108 
Baldwin,   69 
Balestier,  36,  169 
Ball,  8 
Ballard,  8 
Ballistcr,  1O9 
Banks,   105 
Bauncnuan,    1S5 


Baiuiister,  36,  1O9 
Barclay,  32 
Bardcli,   69 
Barebones,  191 
Barfoot,   126  ,^,4 
Baring,  71 
Barker,   125,   150 
Barleycorn,  207 
Barnard,   17, '^68 
Barnby,  87 
Barnes,  132,  194 
Barnett,  g,   17,   68 
Barnfather,   194 
Barnum,   39,   122 
Barpfennig,  202 
Barr,  124 
Barraclough,  48 
Barrett,    17 
Barringer,  79 
Barron,  144 
Barrow,  107 
Barry,  100 
Barter,  155 
Bartle,   57 
Bartlett,   57,   63 
Bartley,   39 
Barton,  123 
Bartram,   81 
Baseley,  87 
Bass,  212 
Bassett,  212 
Bastable,  99 
Bastard,   194 
Basten,  60  n.  2 
Baster,  185 
Bastian,  60  n.  2 
Batch,  125 
Batchclor,   195 
Bates,  57 
Batt,  38,  57 
Batten,  57 
Battiscombe,  106 
Battle,   197 
Bauer,  146 
Bawcock,  65 
Bawden,  70 
Bawtree,  118 
Bax,    125 
Baxter,  149 
Bayard,  215 
Bayliss,  45 
Baynham,   67 
Beach,    iiG 
Beadle,  179 
Beadnian,  188 
Beal,  212 
Beamish,  120,  139 
Bean,   216 
Bear,  217 
Bcarcroll,  123 
Beard,    199 


Beater,'^  1 9 
Beaton,'  63,   66,   93 
Beattie,   93 
Beaufoy,  6 
Beaumont,   120,   138 
Beck,   115,   149 
Beckett,  115 
Beckwith,  117 
Beddoes,   66 
Bedward,  66 
Bee,  93 
Beech,  105 
Beechani,  139 
Beecher,  174 
Beecroft,    123 
Beeforth,  139 
Beeman,  64 
Beer.  133 
Beerbohm,  119 
Beeson,  108 
Beeston,  108 
Beevor,  139 
Begg,  213,  216 
Belcher,  196 
Beldam,   196 
Belfield,  139 
Bell,  8,  94,  135 
Bellamy,    196 
Bellasis,   142 
Bellchambers,  134 
Belle  w,   139 
Bellinger,  79 
Bellows,   132 
Benbow,  204 
Benn,  75 
Benner,  174 
Bennett,  46,  85,  166 
Benning,  71 
Benson,  76,  85 
Bensted,  75,  122 
Bent,  117 
Benyon,  66 
Bere,  133 
Berman,  180 
Bernard,  68 
Berner,  81 
Berry,   121 
Berryman,  121 
Bertenshaw,   39 
Besant,  202 
Best,  217 
Bethell,  66 
Bethune,  66 
Betts,  93 
Beverley,   104 
Bevilacqua,   190 
Bcvis,  100 
Bcwsher,    196 
Bickerstaffe,   40 
Bickersteth,  40,   122 
Bickncll,    \i 


INDEX 


233 


Bidder,   1S7 
Biddle,   179 
Biddulph,  53 
Bienaime,  191 
Bierbaum,  119 
Biggar,   133 
Biggins,  38,  133 
Biggs,  38,  133 
Billiter,  29  n. 
Bindloss,  198 
Binns,  75 
Birch,   118 
Bircheiiough,  106 
Bird,  217 
Birdseye,  227 
Birkbeck,  115 
Birkenshaw,  39 
Birkett,    126 
Birks,   ri8 
Birubaum,   119 
Birtwistle,  128 
Bishop,  144 

Black,  213 

Blackbura,  116 

Blacker,  149 

Blackett,  126 

Blackledge,  163 

Blades,  136 

Blagg,  214 

Blagrave,  214 

Blake,  214 

Blaker,  149 

Blanchard,  215 

Blank,  215 

Blaxter,   149 

Blaze  y,  87 

Blenk'insop,  27,  39, 

Blew,  214 

Bligh,  211 

Bliss,  197 

Blomtield,  139 

Blood,  66 

Bloomer,  153 

Bloor,   150 

Bloss,  100 

Blount,  20,  214 

Blow,  214 

Blower,  150 

Blumenthal,   55 

Blundell,  20,  214 
Blunt,  20,  214 
Board,  133 
Boardman,  133 
Bocock,  65 
Bode,  74 
Boden,  70 
Bodger,  149 
Bodkin,    70 
Body,   70 
Boftey,   II 
Boffin,  II 


Boger,   149 
Boieldieu,  203 
Boileau,   190 
Bolt,  211 
Bompas,  121 
Bonaventure,    197 
Bond,  71,  146,  177 
Bone,  10,  212 
Bonham,    122 
Bonheur,    191 
Bonjour,  191 
Bonnamy,    196 
Bonner,  33 
Bonser,  196 
Bontemps,   191 
Bonvallet,  145 
Bonvarlet,   145 
Bon\illain,   145 
Booker,  14,  149,  I53 
Boon,  10,  212 
Boorman,  133 
Boot,  75 
Booth,   133 
Booty,  75 
Borden,  112 
Border,  133 
Borough,    121 
Borrow,    121 
Bosanquet,  51 
Bosher,  149 
Bostock,  122 
Boston,  123 
Boswell,  66 
Bott,  75 
Botting,  75 
Bottle,  88,  133 
108      Boulden,  70 
Boulter,  154 
Bouverie,  51 
Bow,   131 
Bowden,  70 
Bowdler,  i>b 
Bowen,  62 
Bower,  133,  168 
Bowerman,   133 
Bowes,  131 
Bowie,  216 
Bowker,   149 
Bowler,  152 
Bowmaker,   168 
Bowman,  64 
Bowser,  196 
Bowyer,  168 
Boxall,  39 
Boyce,  18,  140 
Boyd,  216 
Boyden,  70 
BoyeT,  168  n. 
Boyes,  iS,  140 
Brabazon,  100 
Bracegirdle,  ig8 


Bracher,  17 
Braddock,  118 
Bradford,  99 
Bradlaugh,    107 
Bradley,  104 
Bradshaw,  no 
Bragg,  212 
Braid,  31 
Braidwood,   109 
Braithwaite,   112 
Brand,  74 
Brandon,   106 
Brangwin,  40 
Bransom,  36 
Branson,   36 
Brasher,   17 
Brassey,  12 
Braund,  74 
Brazier,  17 
Breakspeare,  204 
Brebner,  100 
Breitkopf,  126 
Brett,  19,  99 
Brewer,    1 7 
Brewis,  132 
Brewster,  149 
Brice,  88 
Bridge,  96,  104 
Bridgeman,  64,  105 
Bridger,  105 
Bridges,  100,  104 
Briggs,  31 
Bright,  28 
Brigstocke,    122 
Brindejonc,  97 
Brinsley,  112 
Brinsmead,   112 
Briscoe,  107 
Bristol,  122 
Bristow,  99 
Britton,  19,  99 
Broadbent,  117 
Broadhead,   126 
Brock,  225 

Brockett,  115,  126,  216 
Brockhurst,  no 
Brocklev,  104 
Broker,  "168 
Bromage,   123 
Bromet,  126 
Bromhead,  126 
Brook,  104,  115 
Brooker,  168 
Brooks,  104 
Brough,   121 
Brown,  43,  47 
Browning,  71 
Brownrigg,  109 
Brownsword,   123 
Bruce,  66 
Brunuiicl,  106 


234 

Brunei,  37 
Bryant,  41 
Bubb,  75 
Buck,  118 
Buckett,  126 
Buckhurst,   no 
Buckland,    114 
Buckle,  135 
Buckler,   155 
Buckmaster,  120 
Budd,  75,  135 
Buddie,  179 
Budworth,  75 
Buffery,  51 
Bugg,  yy 
Bull,  5,  24,  135 
Bullard,  178 
Bulleid,  227 
Bullen,   100 
Buller,  187 
BuUinger,  32,  148 
Bullivant,  36 
Bulpitt,  127 
Bulstrode,   no 
Bulteel,  49 
Bumble,   11 
Buuipus,  121 
Bunce,  10 
Bunker,   11 
Bunn,  10,  212 
Bunyan,  67 
Burchett,   126 
Burder,  165 
Burden,   198 
Burgess,  145 
Burgh,   121 
Burgin,  99 
Burgoyne,  99 
Burke,  122 
Burman,  133 
Burnell,  ZT,  -215 
Burnett,  215 
Bumup,  108 
Burrard,   180 
Burrell,  215 
Burt,  28 
Burward,  180 
Bury,  121 
Bush,  18,  119 
Busher,  149 
Busk,  18 
Buss,  18 
Butcher,  14,  148 
Butler,  16 
Butlin,  30 
Butt,  75,  135 
Butter,  220 
Butterfield,   112 
Button,  75 
Butts,  135 
Buttress,  131 


INDEX 

Buzzard,  221 
Byatt,  124 
Bye,  122 
Byers,  133 
Bythesea,  104 
Bywater,   115 

Cable,  88 
Cade,  88 
Cadman,  12 
Ca3sar,  82 
Caff3-n,  213 
Cain,  85,  141 
Caird,  173 
Cairn,  106 
Cakebread,   156 
Calcott,  134 
Caldecott,  134 
Calf,  223 
Callender,  155 
Callis,  100 
Callow,  220 
Calthorp,   122 
Calver,  178 
Calvert,  178 
Calvin,  213 
Cameron,  216 
Camoys,  11 
Camp,  32,  149 
Campbell,  216 
Campion,  32 
Candish,  30 
Candler,   17 
Cane,  85 
Canham,  30 
Cannon,   165 
Cant,  99 
Cantelo,  139 
Canter,  166 
Cantrell,  166 
Capel,  130 
Capper,  19 
Capron,  198 
Carbonell,  207 
Care,  150 
Carlton,  32 
Carnell,  131 
Carpenter,  32,  163 
Carr,  113 
Carrick,  106 
Carrington,  loi 
Carrodus,  32 
Carruthers,  32 
Carteret,  139 
Carthew,  67 
Carton,  172 
Carver,  186 
Casaubon,  51 
Case,  94 
Cash,  94 
Cass,  94 


Cassel,  55 
Cassell,  132 
Casson,  94 
Castle,  132 
Catchpole,  184 
Catherall,  180 
Catlin,  32,  36,  88 
Cator,  33,  164,  186 
Catt,  88 
Cattrall,   180 
Caudle,  39 
Caught,  128 
Cauldwell,  39,  129 
Caunter,  166 
Cayzer,  82,  144 
Cazenove,  133 
Centlivre,  2or 
Chadwick,  88 
Chaffe,  213 
Chalk,  102 
Challands,  100 
Challen,  100 
Challis,  100 
Chalmers,  134 
Chaloner,   171 
Chamberlain,  183 
Champain,  99 
Champion,  32 
Champion     de     Cres- 

pigny,  51 
Champness,  20 
Champneys,  20,  99 
Chance.  197 
Chancellor,  32,   183 
Chandler,   17,   169,  185 
Chaney,  141 
Channell,   129 
Chanuen,   165 
Chant,  99 
Chaplin,   166 
Chapman,  23,  168 
Chappell,  32,  130 
Chappuis,  53 
Charity,  197 
Charles,  61 
Charlton,  32 
Charter,  166 
Charters,  166 
Chase,  124 
Chastney,  141 
Chater,   r64 
Chattaway,  128 
Chaucer,  171 
Chawner,    171 
Chaworth,  100 
Chaytor,  33,  164 
Cheap,   123 
Cheek,  200 
Cheese,  156 
Cheeseman,  20,  148 
Cheetham,  47 


Chell,  74 
Chenery,  142 
Chenevix,  51 
Chesney,  141 
Chettle,  74 
Child,  194 
Childers,  166 
Chinn,  199 
Chinnery,  142 
Chipp,  123 
Chisholm,  117 
Christie,  87 
Christmas,  88 
Chrystal,  87 
Chubb,  32,  85,  226 
Chucks,  10 
Chumley,  30 
Church,  32 
Churcher,  131 
Churchman,  131 
Churchward,   180 
Clapp,  149 
Clarabutt,  81 
Clare,  150 

Clark,  19,  32,  47,  163 
Clarkson,  147 
Clavinger,  155 
Clay,  102 
Claypole,  116 
Cleaver,  152 
Cleeve,   108 
Clegg,  211 
Cleveland,  114 
Cleverly,  104 
Clew,  108 
Cliff,   108 
Clift,  108 
Clitheroe,  107 
Clive,  108 
Close,  124 
Clough,  108 
Clow,  108 
Clowser,  124 
Clucas,  66 
Coad,  75,  216 
Coates,  133 
Cobb,  9,  75 
Cobbett,  69,  76,  88 
Cobbin,  9 
Cobbold,  9,  69 
Cobham,  75 
Cock,  65,  135 
Cockayne,   g8 
Cocker,  187 
Cocking,  65 
Cocks,  65 
Codd,  75 
Codlin,  12 
Codner,  151 
Coe,  218 
Coffer,  155 


INDEX 

Coffin,  213 
Coke,  12,  164 
Colbeck,  115 
Cole,  74 
Coleman,  64 
Colfox,  225 
Collard,  "Ji 
Collett,  63,  166 
Colley,  22 
Collier,  174 
Collings,  35,  74 
Collins,  3,  22,  63 
Colonne,  131 
Colt,   51 
Coltard,  178 
Coltraan,  64,  178 
Colvin,   73 
Combe,   18 
Comber,   170 
Compton,   106 
Comyn,  66 
Condy,   129 
Conner,  173 
Conquest,  197 
Constable,  45 
Converse,  166 
Conyers,  142 
Cook,  4 
Cookson,  147 
Coombes,  18 
Cooper,  44,  45 
Cope,  107 
Copeman,  168 
Copp,  107 
Copperwheat,  112 
Coppin,  9 
Copping,  63 
Cordeaux,  12 
Corderoy,  135 
Cordery,  135 
Cordner,  151 
Corker,  152 
Corneille,  204 
Comer,  154 
Cornish,  24,  96 
Comwallis,  19,  24,  96 
Corrie,  134 
Corser,  151 
Cosser,  151 
Cossey,  128 
Coster,  182 
Cosway,  128 
Cotman,  133 
Cotter,    133 
Cotterill,  133 
Cotton,  134 
Cottrell,  133 
Couch,  216 
Court,  128 
Courtenay,  7 
Courtney,  7 


235 


Courvoisier,  151 
Cousins,  193 
Cover,  45,  155 
Cowan,  54 
Coward,  10,  178 
Cowdery,  141 
Cowdrey,   141 
Cowper,  44 
Cowperthwaite,  112 
Cox,  65 
Coxall,  99 
Coxhead,  227 
Coy,  211 
Cozens,  193 
Cracknell,  156 
Cradock,  78 
Craft,  123 
Cragg,  106 
Craig,  106 
Cramer,   i8r 
Cranmer,   116 
Crashaw,  no 
Craske,  212 
Craven,  10 
Crawcour,  206 
Creagh,  106 
Crease,  212 
Creasey,  212 
Creed,   197 
Cremer,  181 
Crewdson,   88 
Crick,  115 
Cripps,  37 
Crisp,  37 
Crocker,  174 
Crockett,   19S 
Croft,   123 
Croker,  174 
Crombie,  212 
Crook,  117,  211 
Crosier,  166 
Cross,  17 
Crosskeys,  79,  135 
Crouch,  17 
Croucher,  17 
Crouse,  212 
Crowe,  218 
Crowfoot,  227 
Crowne,  135 
Crowninsbield,    135 
Crowther,  161 
Crozier,  135,  166 
Cruden,  88 
Cruikshank,  211 
Crum,  24,  211 
Crump,  24,  211 
Cubitt,  29,  88 
Cuff,  75 

Cullen,  57  n.,  100 
Cullum,  122 
Culpepper,  205 


236 

Culver,  2^0 
Culverhousc,  Z2o 
Ciiniining,  66 
Cunditt,   129 
Ciiiidy,   129 
Cvinliffe,   108 
Cupples,  69  n. 
Curnow,  96 
Currer,  154 
Currie,  134 
Curry,  134 
Curryer,  154 
Curtis,  211 
Curzon,  11 
Cuss,  193 
Cussens,  193 
Cast,  95 
Custance,  95 
Cutbush,  205 
Cutlack,  32 
Cutler,  96,  172 
Cutts,  88 
Cuvier,  45 

Dabbs,  31,  62 
Dabney,    16,    100,    138 
Daft,  47 
Daintree,  30 
Dainty,  30 
Daisy,  97 
Dakin,  165 
Dalbiac,  51 
Dale,  106 
Dallaway,  128 
Dallison,  38,  100 
Dallmaii,   100 
Dalmaiii,   100 
Dalziel,  29 
Dampier,   138 
Dance,  10,  85 
Dancock,   85 
Dane,  98 
Danger,  100 
Dangertield,  139 
Danks,  38 
Dann,  85 
Dannatt,   85 
Danvers,  16,  100 
Darbishire,  97 
Darblay,  141 
Darby,  32 
Darcy,  10 1 
Darmsteter,  55 
Darwen,  115 
Darwin,  73 
Dasent,  212 
Daubeney,      16,      100, 

138 
Davies,  43 
Daw,  218 
Dawbarn,  63  n.  i 


INDEX 

Dawc,  57 
Dawkes,  63 
Dawkins,  63 
Dawnav,  141 
Day,  37,  177 
Deacon,   165 
Deakin,  115 
Dean,  22,   112,   165 
Dear,   190,  211 
Dearlove,   36,  69 
Death,  loi 
Dedman,   64 
Dee,  115 
Deedes,  75 
Deemer,   1S4 
Deer,   211 
De  Fog,  141 
Dekker,  173 
Delamere,  12 
Delane,  51 
Delapole,   12 
Delaware,  129 
Dell,  106 
Delinar,  12 
Delves,  125 
Demange,  90 
Dempster,   184 
Dench,  97 
Dendy,  87 
Dene,  22,  112 
Denison,  145 
Denman,  112 
Denne,   22,    112 
Dennett,  82 
Dennis,  82,   98 
Denny,  82 
Dentry,   30 
Denver,    112 
Depiedge,  163 
Dering,  71 
Derrick,  81 
Derwent,   115 
Devenish,  96 
Devereux,  100 
Devey,  212 
Devil'le,  86 
Dew,  loi 
Dexter,  18,  170 
Diamond,  9 
Dibb,    14 
Dibble,  14 
Dibden,  112 
Dick,  62 
Dickens,  20 
Dicker,   125 
Dickman,  105,  125 
Dickson,  29 
Dieudonne,    117 
Dieulcveut,   203 
Dieumcgard,  203 
Diggs,  32,  63 


Dike,  125 
Dimanche,  90 
Dimond,  g 
Diplock,  197 
Diprose,  140 
Disnev,  100 
Dix,  3'2 
Dixon,  29 
Dobb,  62 
Dobell,  94 
Dobree,  141 
Dodd,  75 
Doddridge,  109 
Dodge,  60 
Dodsley,  75 
Dodson,  62,   75,  76 
Doe,  22^ 
Dogood,  204 
Dolittle,  204 
Doleman,   100 
Doll,  139 
DoUey,  10 1 
DoUman,  100 
Dollond,  51 
Dolphin,  227 
Dombey,  212 
Donne,  106 
Doon,  80 
Double,  14 
Doubtfire,  207 
Douch,  7,  57,  98 
Doudney,  117 
Doutrepont,  104 
Dove,  220 
Dow,  57,  216 
Dowd,  75 
Dowe,  223 
Down,  75,  76,  106 
Downing,  106 
Dowson,  57 
Doyle,  loi 
D'Oyley,   loi 
Drake,  217 
Dreng,   145 
Drew,  53,  81 
Drewett,  53 
Drewry,  195 
Dring,   74,   I45 
Drinkwater,  190 
Druce,  81,  100 
Druitt,  53,  81 
Drury,  195 
Dry,  191 
Dubois,  45 
Ducat,   145 
Duck,   144 
Duckett,  144 
Dudenev,  117 
Duff,  216,  220 
Duftus,  132 
Dufour,  134 


Duke,  144. 
Duncalfe,  223 
Dunn.  75,  76,  106,  214 
Dunning,   71 
Dunnock,  219 
Dunstan,  69 
Dupont,  43 
Dupre,  45 
Dupuy,    140 
Durand,  43,  51 
Durbej-field,  139 
Durfey,  10 1 
Diirr,  191 
Durrant,  81 
Durward,  180 
Dutt,  75 
Dutton,  "75 
Dve,  83 
Dver,  18,  163 
Dyke,   125 
Dyson,  32,  83 
Dyter,  18,  170 
Dyster,  170 


Eade,  75 
Eady,  60 
Eames,  193 
Earl,  5,  74.  144 
Eamshaw,  39,  no 
Earwaker,   69 
Easter,  89 
Eastman,   72 
Ebbs,   75,   76,   94 
Ebbsworth,  75,  123 
Eccles,  120 
Ede,  60 
Edelstein,  55 
Eden,  60 
Edens,  94 
Edes,  75 
Edge,  126 
Edison,  60 
Edkins,  60 
Edmondstone,  108 
Edridge,  73 
Edwards,  46 
Eeles,  226 
Egg,  31 
Elder,  118 
Elgar,  69 
Elgood,  71,  95 
Ellershaw,  119 
Elliott,  63,  85 
Ellis,  85 
Elmer,  72,  174 
Elphick.  72 
Elvey,  69 
Elviii,  72 
Ehvin,  72 
Elwood,  109 


INDEX 

Ely,  81 
Emerson,  95 
Emery,  80 
Emmett,  95 
Empson,  95,  193 
England,  98,  117 
English,  96 
Ensor,  30 
Entwistle,  128 
Epps,  75,  76,  94 
Esmond,   72 
Evans,  43 
Eve,   90 

Everett,  17,  71,  124 
Evershed,  126 
Ever>',  80 
Ewan,  38 
Ewart,  178 
Ewens,  38 
Ewer,  186 
Eye,  117 
Eyre,  195 

Faber,  iS,  105  n. 
Fabricius,  148  n. 
Facey,  34 
Failes,  141 
Fair,  152  n. 
Fairbairn,  194 
Fairburn,  194 
Faircloth,  loS 
Fairclough,  loS 
Fairfax,  20,  214 
Falcon,  135 
Falconer,   1 82 
Fall,  gi 

Fallows,  vi,  192 
Falstaff,  73 
Fanner,  31 
Faraday,  177 
Farebrother,   196 
Farrant,  81 
Farrar,  172 
Farthing,  202 
Faulkner,   182 
Faunt.  146 
Fauntleroy,   146 
Fawcett,  126 
Fawkes,  82 
Fay,  141 
Feare,  211 
Fearenside,   126 
Fearon,   15,   171 
Featherstonhaugh,   116 
Feaver,  18,  171 
Feaveryear,  72  n. 
Fell,  106 
Fellows,   192 
Fender,  34 
Fenimore,  36,  113 
Fennell,  128 


237 


Fenner.  31,  177 
Fermor,  148 
Ferrers,  38,  138 
Ferrier,  172 
Ferris,  38,  61 
Ferry,  61 
Feulard,  203 
Fevyer,  18 
Fewkes,  61 
Fewster,  174 
Ffoulkes,  30 
Ffrench,  30 
Field,  104,  112 
Fiennes,  139 
Filkins,  87 
Filmer,  73 
Finn,  216 
Finnemore,  36 
Firebrace,  So 
Firminger,  20,  35,   14 
Firth,  116 
Fish.  217 
Fishwick,  123 
Fisk,  217 
Fitch,   196,  225 
Fitchett,  225 
Fitchew,  225 

Fitz,  196 

Fiveash,   141 

Flack,  114 

Fladgate.  124 

Flanner,  169 

Flaxman,  170 

Fleck,  220 

Fleet.  115 

Fleischer,  150 

Fleischmann,  150 

Fleming,  120 

Fletcher.  150,   186 

Flick.  220 

Flinders,  33,  100 

Flood,  67,  115 

Flower,  169 

Flowerdew,  146 

Floyd,  67 

Foakes,  61 

Foat,  126 

Fogg,  75 

Foljambe,  212 

Folkard,  69 

Follett,  212 

Folley,  133 

Folliott,  212 

Fonblanque,   51 

Foot,  125 

Foottet,  126 

Forcett,  126 

Ford,  102,  117 

Forester,  175 

Forster,  175 

Forth,  117 


238 

Fosbrooke,  125 
Fosdike,  125 
Fosse,  125 
Fossett,  126 
Foster,  38,  175 
Fothergill,   109 
Foulds,  105,  124 
Fowell,  24,  217 
Fowkes,  61 
Fowler,  24,  165 
Fox,  6r,  225 
Foy,  141 
France,  97 
Francis,   96 
Frankliam,    122 
Franklin,  143 
Freake,  210 
Frean,  141 
Free,  74 
Freebairn,   145 
Freeborn,   145 
Freeney,  141 
French,  96 
Frere,   163 
Frcwin,  73 
Frick,  210 
Friend,   192 
Fripp,  40 
Frith,  116,  124 
Frobisher,   173 
Froude,   74 
Fry,   28 
Fryer,  163 
Fulcher,  69,  74 
Fullalove,  207 
Fuller,    170 
Furber,  173 
Furneaux,   138 
Furner,  148 
Furness,  134 
Furnival,   139 
Furze,  119 

Gabb,  88 
Gabbett,  88 
Gable,  88 
Gale,  134 
Galer,   184 
Gales,   135 
Galilee,  130 
Galley,  130 
Gallon,  33 
Galpin,  82 
Gait,  222 
Gambler,  51 
Gamble,  35 
Game,  124 
Gander,  196 
Gansauge,  227 
Ganter,  171 
Gapp,  48 


INDEX 

Garbett,  73 
Garden,   124 
Gardiner,  29 
Garfield,  124 
Gargery,  37 
Garibaldi,    73 
Garland,  225 
(iarlick,  155,  191 
Garment,  "ji 
Garner,  81,  154 
Garnett,  80 
Garnham,   122,  200 
Garrard,  17,  32,  •/}, 
Garrett,  ij,  73 
Garrick,  51,   141 
Garrison,   17 
Garside,  124 
Garth,  124 
Gascoyne,  99 
Gaskeil,  109 
Gaskin,  99 
Gate,  185 
Gates,  124 
Garth,  38 
Gathercole,  205 
Gathergood,  204 
Gatliff,  Ti 
Gatling,   32 
Gatty,  38 
Gaukroger,  60 
Gaunt,  100 
Gaunter,  171 
Gauntlctt,  135 
Gavin,   79 
Gaylard,  213 
Gaylor,  184 
Gaylord,  213 
Gaynor,   79 
Geary,  79 
Gedge,  212 
Geldard,  178 
Gell,  33 
Gem,  60 
(iender,    196 
Genever,   79 
Genn,  79 
Gent,  213 
George,  61 
Gepp,  61 
German,  4 
Gerring,  80 
Gerrish,  211 
Gibbins,  62 
Gibbon,  62,  63 
Gibbs,  62 
Giblett,  12,  62 
Gibson,  62 
Gifkins,  63 
Gilbey,  62 
Gilchrist,  67 
Gildea,  67 


Gildersleeve,  199 
Gilham,  59 
Gilkes,  38 
Gill,  25,  33,  108 
Gillespie,  67 
Gillett,   63 
Gillies,  67 
(iilliver,   79 
Ciilman,   59 
Gilmour,  67 
Gilpin,   62 
Gilroy,  67 
Gimson,  60 
Ginder,  196 
Ginger,  155 
Ginn,  79 
Ginner,  148 
Gipps,  32,  62 
Glaisher,  174 
Glascock,  40 
Glascott,  40 
Glass,  216 
Glasspool,  116 
Glazebrook,   36,   115 
Gleed,  221 
Glegg,  211 
Glen,  106 
Gloster,   19 
Gliick,  191 
Gliickstein,    35 
Glynn, 106 
Goad,   86 
Goater,  178 
Godbehere,  72,  203 
Godber,   72 
Goddard,  •]},,  178 
Godliman,   64 
Goff,  216 
Gxold,  4 
Goldberg,  55 
(ioldenkrantz,  55 
(lolding,  39 
lioldmann,  55 
(Goldsmith,   15,   54 
Goldwin,   39 
Golightly,  206 
Gooch,  216 
Good,  4,  74 
tloodacre,    112 
Goodair,  72 
Goodale,  156 
Goodbairn,  194 
Goodban,  194 
Cioodbeer,  72,  156 
Goodburn,   194 
Goodchild,   36,   74 
Goodday,   191 
Goodenough,  106 
Goodeve,  69,  70 
Goodfellow,    190,    19^ 
Goodhart,  12 


Goodhew,  60 
Goodhue,  60 
Goodier,  72 
Gooding,  39 
Goodlake,  32,  69 
Goodliffe,  73,  108 
Goodluck,  69,  197 
Goodman,  64 
Goodrich,  60,  70 
Goodrick,  60 
Goodson,   196 
Goodwin,  39 
Good\'ear,  72 
Gore,  113 
Gorman.  72 
Gorst,  10,  119 
Gosling,  10,  32 
Goss,  10 
Gosselin,  10 
Gosset,  10 
Gossip,   1 96 
Gotobed,  72,  20G 
Gott,  129 
Gottbehiit,    203 
Gotthelf,   203 
Gough,  48,  116 
Goujon,  226 
Gow,  173 
Grace,  119,  212 
Gracedieu,  203 
Graindorge,  207 
Grammer,  155 
Grange,   132 
Granger,  132 
Grant,  66,  212 
Granville,  139 
Grattepaille,  206 
Graves,  no 
Gray,  225 
Grayson,   147 
Grazebrook,  36 
Greatorex,  109 
Greaves,  no 
Green,  45 
Greenall,  116, 
Grecnaway,  35,  12  8 
Greenfield,  139 
Greenhalgh,  116 
Greenhow,  106 
Greenidge,   123 
Greening,  117 
Greenish,  39 
Greenman,  132 
Greenstreet,  120 
Gregson,  57 
Grenfell,  106 
Grenville,  139 
Greville,  139 
Grew,  220 
Grice,  222 
Grier,  57 


INDEX 

Grieve,  181 
Grieves,  147 
Griffin,  217 
Grimes,  74 
Grimsdick,   125 
Grimwade,  117 
Grindrod,  35,  iii 
Groser,  151 
Gross,  213 
Grossetete,  126 
Grossmith,  44 
Grosvenor,  185 
Grote,  213 
Grove,  no 
Grubbe,  50 
Grundy,  37,  69 
Gubbins,  124  n. 
Gudgeon,  226 
Guest,  192 
Gulliver,  79 
Gundry,  37,  69 
Gunn,  74 
Gunnell,  y;^ 
Gunner,   73 
Gunning,  39,  71 
Gunston,   123 
Gunter,  72 
Gunwin,  39 
Gurney,  138 
Gutbier,  156 
Gutch,  116 
Gutentag,  191 
Guthrie,  7 
Gutjahr,  72 
Gutteridge,   70 
Gwynne,  15,  216 

Hack,  74,  III 
Hackett,  74 
Hacking,   in 
Haddock,  226 
Haggard,  81,  221 
Haggett,  81 
Haig,  21,  124 
Haigh,  21,  124 
Hailstone,  108 
Haines,  73 
Hake,  226 
Haldane,  73 
Hale,  21,  45,  116 
Hales,  21,  45 
Halfpenny,  202 
Hall,  4,  21,  45,  131 
Hallett,  37 
Halliday,  89 
Halliwell,  129 
Hallmark,  202 
Halse,  119 
Halsey,  119 
Ham,    122 
Hamblin,  35 


239 


Hambro,   100 
Hamburg,  55 
Hamlet,  12,  37,  62 
Hamlin,  35 
Hammant,  35 
Hammond,  35,  74 
Hamnett,  36 
Hamper,  173 
Hampshire,  98 
Hancock,  2 
Hand,  3 
Hands,  3 
Handyside,   126 
Hann,  3 
Hannibal,  82 
Hanrott,  38 
Hansell,   39 
Hansom,  3,  3G,  loi 
Hanson,  3,  36 
Hanway,   100 
Harbor d,  32 
Harbottle,  133 
Harcourt,  139 
Hardaker,   112 
Harding,  39 
Hardisty,   124 
Hardwin,  39 
Hargreave,    no 
Harlow,   107 
Harman,  64,  72 
Harmsworth,  123 
Harness,  81 
Harnett,   14,  38 
Harold,  69 
Harrap,  108 
Harris,  38,  46 
Harrison,  38,  47 
Harrod,   69 
Hart,  54,   135 
Hartopp,   108 
Harvard,  72 
Harvest,  90 
Harvey,  57 
Harward,  72,  180 
Harwood,  109 
Hasler,  1S5 
Hasluck,  204 
Hastings,  73 
Hatch,   124 
Hatchard,  81 
Hatchett,  81,  124 
Hathaway,  35,  128 
Hatt,    135 
Hatton,  136 
Haupt,  126 
Havelock,   69 
Haw,  124 
Haward,  180 
Haweis,  94 
Hawes,  21,  116,  124 
Hawke,  218 


240 


INDEX 


Hawker,  182 
Hawkes,  38,  63 
Hawkins,  37,  63 
Hawley,  104 
Hawtrey,   138 
Hav,  21,  124 
Haybittle,   180 
Haycock,  124 
Haycraft,  123 
Hayday,  89 
Hayes,  21,   105,   124 
Hayman,   180 
Hayward,  180 
Haywood,   109 
Hazel,  119 
Hazelrigg,  109 
Hazeldean,  112 
Hazlitt,  126 
Head,  25,  125 
Heal,  116 
Healey,  82 
Heard,-  32 
Hearne,  127 
Heamshaw,     39,     no, 

219 
Heaven,  38 
Heaviside,  126 
Hebblethwaite,  112 
Hedgcock,   124 
Hedge,  21,  124 
Hedgecoe,  21S 
Hedges,  21 
Hellier,  173 
Hemming,  71 
Henderson,  35 
Hendry,   34 
Hendy,  211 
Henery,  34 
Henfrey,  82 
Hensman,  186 
Henson,  35 
Hentv,  211 
Herald,  69,  183 
Herbert,  73 
Herd,   32 
Hermitage,  130 
Heme,  127,  219 
Heron,  219 
Herrick,  73 
Herries,   12 
Herring,  227 
Hertslet,  112 
Heseltine,  112 
Heslop,  108 
Hester,  89 
Hew,   59 
Hewens,  38 
Hewett,   59 
Hewlett,  59,  62 
Hexter,  38 
Hey,  124 


Hibbert,  73,  74 
Hick,  62 
Hickman,  3,  64 
Hickmott,  195 
Hide,  125 

Higginbottom,  Tj,  114 
Higgs,  63 
Hildyard,  73 
Hill,  23,  45,  96,  106 
Hillard,  173 
Hillman,  105 
Hillyard,   173 
Hillyer,  173 
Hind,  35,  177,  223 
Hine,  35,  177 
Hinks,  222 
Hinxman,  186 
Hird,  32 
Hirsch,  55 
Hirst,   no 
Hitch,  63 
Hitchcock,  65 
Hoar,  214 
Hobart,  j^ 
Hobbs,  24,  32,  35,  62 
Hobday,  89 
Hobson,  24 
Hockaday,  89 
Hockin,  37 
Hodder,  21 
Hodge,  60 
Hodson,  62 
Hoe,  116 
Hogarth,  124 
Hogg,  190,  222 
Hoggart,  178 
Hogsfiesh,   157 
Holbrook,  115 
Holder,  146 
Hole,  109 
Holiday,  89 
Holinshed,  118 
Holl,  109 
Holland,  98 
Holliman,  6,  197 
HoUings,  118 
HoUingshead,   nS 
Hollins,   118 
Hollis,  118 
Holliwell,  129 
HoUowell,  129 
Holm,  117 
Holman,  9,  117 
Holmer,  1x7 
Holmes,  117,  118 
Holt,  109 
Holtum,  122 
Holyland,   98 
Holyoak,  61 
Homan,  64,   116 
Homburger,   55 


Home,  38,  117 
Homer,  83,  117 
Homewood,  118 
Hone,  108 
Honeyball,  76,  82 
Hoo,  116 
Hood,  198 
Hook,  116 
Hooker,   116 
Hoole,  109 
Hooman,   116 
Hope,  108 
Hopkins,  24,  35,  62 
Hopper,   165 
Hopps,  32,  35,  62 
Horlock,   198,  214 
Home,  135 
Horner,   169 
Horniblow,  205 
Homiman,  33 
Horridge,  39 
Hose,   131 
Hoskins,  38 
Hostler,  165 
Houchin,  59 
Hough,  106 
House,  9,  97,  131 
How,   9,   59,   106 
Howard,  180 
Howes,  9 
Howitt,   59 
Howlett,  59,  221 
Hoyle,  109 
Hozier,  17X 
Hubbard,  73 
Hudson,  3,  75 
Huggins,   59 
Hughes,  46 
Huish,  125 
Hull,  23,  io5 
Hulme,  117 
Humber,  115 
Hume,   117 
Humfrey,  60 
Hunt,  148 
Hunter,  149 
Hurd,  32 
Hurlbatt,  204 
Hum,   127 
Hurst,  no 
Husband,  177 
Hussey,  141 
Hustler,   165 
Hutchins,  59 
Hutson,  35 
Huxtable,  123 
Hyatt,  124 
Hyde,  125 

Ibbott,  94 
Ibbotson,  94 


INDEX 


241 


Iddias,  94 
Iddison,  94 
Ide,  94 
I den,  94 
Image,   135 
Imrav,  80 
Ind,  '126 
Ing,  117 
Ingall,  117 
Inge,  75,  ii7 
Ingle,   117 
Inglis,  96 
Ingoldby,  117 
Ingram,  73,  82 
Ings,  117 
Inkpen,  135 
Inman,  165 
Inward,  28 
Inwood,  28 
Ireland,  24,  97 
Iremonger,  170 
Ironmonger,   1 70 
Isard,  79 
Isemonger,  170 
Isitt,  79 
Ivatts,  80 
Ives,  80 
Ivimey,  196 
Ivison,  80 
Ivory,  80 
Izod,  79 
Izzard,  79 

Jackson,  47 
Jaggard,  182 
J  agger,  182 
J  ago,  60 
Jalland,  33 
James,  46 
Janaway,  100 
Janes,   100 
Janvier,  91 
Janways,   100 
Jardine,  29 
Jarman,  4 
Jarrold,  32,  73 
Jarvis,  32,  87 
Jeakes,  60 
Jebb,  61 
Jeffcock,  40 
Jeffcott,  29,  40 
Jellicoe,  37 
Jemmett,  60 
Jenkins,  38 
Jenks,  38 
Jenner,  33,  148 
Jennifer,  79 
Jennings,  25,  35,  63 
Jenoure,  33,  148 
Jephcott,  29 
Jepson,   61 

17 


Jermyn.  4 
Jemingham,   122 
Jerram,  87 
Jessop,  85 
Jewett,  25 
Jewhurst,  125 
Jewsbury,  125 
Jex,  60 
Jinks,  38 
Jobling,  71,  85 
Jobson,  85 
Johnson,  25,  47 
Johnston,  108 
Jolland,  33 
Jolliffe,  212 
Jones,  25 
Jordan,  58 
Joslin,  32 
Jowett,  25 
Joy,  25 
Joyce,  94 
Jubb,  32 
Judd,  58 
Judge,  184 
Judkins,  58 
Judson,  58,  184 
Jukes,  38,  58 
Jull,  33 
Junior,  145 
Juniper,  79 
Jupp,  32,  85 
JuT}-,  125 
Justice,  184 
Juxon,  184 

Kain,   85 
Kaines,  141 
Kalbfleisch,  157 
Karslake,  37 
Katt,   224 
Kay,  79 
Keach,  25 
Keble,  69  n. 
Kedge,  212 
Keep,  132 
Kell,  74 
Kelsey,  74 
Kemble,  69 
Kemp,  74,  149 
Kempster,   170 
Ken,  224 
Kennard,  72 
Kennedy,  216 
Kennett,  224 
Kenney,   141 
Kenrick,  73 
Kerr,  113,  224 
Ketch,  25,  212 
Kettle,  74 
Kew,  5 


Key,  79,  129,  136 
Keylock,    129 
Keynes,  141  n. 
Keys,  79 
Kibbles,  69  n. 
Kiddell,  144 
Kidder,  181 
Kiddier,  181 
Kidger,  148 
Kidney,  200 
Killick,  123 
Killip,  66 
Kilner,  25,  164 
Kimball,   69 
Kimber,  170 
King,  21,  47,   144 
Kingdom,  106 
Kingdon,  106 
Kingscote,  133 
Kingson,   146 
Kingston,  146 
Kipping,   71 
Kipps,  32 
Kirk,   32 
Kirkbride,  88 
Kirker,  131 
Kirkman,  131 
Kirkus,  132 
Kisser,  152 
Kitchin,  134 
Kitching,  35 
Kite,  74 
Kitson,  95 
Kittermaster,   120 
Knapp,  107 
Knapper,  107 
Knatchbull,  206 
Knight,  145 
Knoblauch,  155,  191 
Knock,  107 
Knocker,  107 
Knollys,  29,   107 
Knott,     16,     30,     107, 

108,  219 
Knowler,   167 
Knowles,  29,  107 
Knowlson,  30 
Knox,  108 
Kopf,   126 
Krummbein,  211 

Labiche,  223 
Labouchere,  149 
Lacey,  4 
Lack,  116 
Lade,  129 
Ladyman,   64 
Laird,  145 
Lake,  104,  116 
Lakeman,  64 
Lamb,  63  n.  2,  135 


242 

l.anibard,    loo 
Lambert,  73,   74 
l.ambie,  63 
Lammas,  89 
Lainmiter,  201 
La  Moiinaie,  165 
Lamourcux,  191 
Larapre)^  226 
Lance,  79 
Lancelot,  79 
Lander,   186 
Laner,  170 
Lang,  31 

Langbain,  138  n. 
Langlois,  96 
Langtoft,  108 
Langworthy,  123 
Lankester,  97 
Lankshear,   99 
Lanyon,  67 
Lardner,  18& 
Larkin,  58 
Larued,  32,  191 
Larpent,  12 
Lasalle,  45,  131 
Lateward,   180 
Latham,  132 
Latimer,  172 
Latner,  172 
Lamider,  186 
Lavender,  186 
Law,  58,  107 
Lawless,  198 
Lawman,  64 
Lawric,  225 
Lawson,  58 
Laj',  28,  58 
Layard,  51 
Laycock,  58 
Layman,  64 
Lea,  28 
Leach,  163 
Leadbeater,  173 
Leadbitter,   173 
Leader,  178 
Leaf,  74,  211 
Leaper,  152,  165 
Learoyd,  11 1 
Leatham,  132 
Leather.  107 
Leatherbarrow,  107 
Leathes,  132 
Leboeuf,  223 
Lechien,  224 
Ledger,  81 
Lcdiard,  Si 
Lcdieu,  86 
Lee,  28,  45,  54i  10- 
Leech,  163 
Leete,  129 
Lefanu,  51 


INDEX 

Lchlleul,  196 

Lefroy,  51 

Leggatt,  166 

Legge,  28,  81 

Legh,  28 

Lehideux,  191 

Leicester,  19 

Leif,  74 

Leif child,  71 

Leigh,  28 

Lekain,  224 

Lemaitre,  12 

Leman,  194 

Lemon,  73,   194 

Lempriere,   144 

Lenain,  210 

Leunard,  221 

Lent,  90 

Leppard,  217 

Lequeux,  5 

Lequien,  224 

Lermitte,  167 

Lesec,  191 

Lesley,  6 
Lester,  19 
Lestrange,  12 
Lesturgeon,  226 
Lesueur,  151 
Letellier,  45 
Letts,  94 
Lettson,  94 
Lever,  223 
Leverett,  223 
Leveridge,  7_] 
Leverson,  223 
Lcvcsnn,  223 
Lcvick,  ii,  144 
Levrault,  223 
Lewes,  46 
Lewia,  72 
Lewis,  46,  54 
Ley,  28 
Liberty,  123 
Lidgate,  124 
Lidgett,  124 
Lidley,  51 
Liebevoll,  207 
Light,  210 
Lightioot,   126 
Lightwood,   210 
Ligouier,  31 
Lilbume,  6 
Lilienfeld,  55 
Lilley,  136 
Lillj^vhitc,  Si 
Linacre,  n2 
Lind,  118 
Lindley,  iiS 
Lines,  118 
Ling,  119 
Linncll,  79 


Liitcr,  166,  170 
Little,  210 
Littleboy,  191 
Littlechild,   195 
Littlefair,  192 
Littlejohn,  59 
Littlepage,  93 
Littleproud,  123 
Littleworth,  123 
Littre,  32 
Livingston,  loS 
Lloyd,  48,  216 
Loader,  178 
Lock,  129 
Lockhart,  7 
Lockyer,  14S 
Locock,  58 
Lodge,  133 
Loftus,  132 
Lombard,  100 
Loney,  34 
Long,  2 
Longfellow,  loi 
Longman,  64 
Longstaff,  198 

Looker,  179 

Lord,  145 

Lorimer,  172 

Loriner,  172 

Loring,  100 

Lorkin,  58 

Love,  197 

Loveday,  8g 

Lovejoy,  204 

Lovelace,  198 

Loveless,  198 

Lovell,  197 

Lovelock,  198 

Lover,  191 

Leveridge,  73 

Lovett,  197 

Lovibond,  198 

Loving,  100 

Low,  17,  58,  107 

Lowe,  54 

Lowe,  55 

Lowell,  197 

Lowndes,  113 

Lowrie,  225 

Lowsou,  58 

Luard,  51 
Lubbock,  100 
Lucas,  87 
Luck,     87,     00,     lyi, 

197 
Luckctt,  87 
Luckner,  100 
Lucuck,  87 
Luff,  197 
Lufkin,  197 
Lugard,  73 


Luker,   179 
Lund,  113 
Lunn,  113 
Lush,   185 
Lusher,  184 
Lusk,  192 
Luter,  224 
Lutterer,  224 
Luttrel,  223 
Lye,  28 
Lyell,  79 
Lynch,   127 
Lyndhurst,    118 
Lynes,   118 
Lynn,  106 
Lyon,  135 
Lyons,  54 
Lyte,  210 

Mabbs,  3 
Macey,  59 
Machin,  59 
Macllroy,  67 
Mackenzie,  29 
Maclean,  67 
Macnab,  66 
Macpherson,  66 
Maddox,  78 
Maggot,  93 
Mahood,  93 
Maidment,  y\ 
Mainprice,  1S5 
Maniwaring,  27,  42,  142 
Mair,  184 
Major,  184 
^Makepeace,  204 
Makins,  86 
Malapert,  191 
Malcolm,  67 
Malcsherbes,  iig 
Malherbe,  119 
Malins,  100 
Malleson,  37,  93 
3\Ialpas,  121 
Malthus,  132 
Maltravers,  121 
Mangles,  69 
Mann,  64,  177,  192 
Mannering,  30,  142 
Manning,  71 
Mansell,  99 
Manser,  82 
Manton,  4 
Maple,  119 
Mapleson,  3 
Alappin,  3 
Mapple,  119 
March,  86,  90 
Marchant,  23,   32,   163 
Marchbanks,  30 
Margetts,  93 


INDEX 

Marillicr,    167 
Marner,  164 
Marratt,  23 
Marriage,  197 
Marriott,  63 
IMarris,  113 
Marrott,  23,  93 
Marryat,  63 
Mars,  91 
Marsh,   104,   113 
Marshall,  45,  183 
Martin,  46 
Martineau,  51 
Martyr,  86 
Mash,  38 
Maskell,  183 
Mason,  86 
Massie,  59 

Massinger,  20,  35,  185 
Masson,  59 
Master,  192 
Masterman,  192 
Masters,  12,  192 
Mather,    177 
Matheson,  86 
Mattison,  95 
Maud,  93 
Mauger,  184 
Mauleverer,  139 
Maunder,  187 
Mawer,  177 
Mavvson,  24,  93 
May,  65,  86,  90,   1 1^5 
Maycock,  65 
Mayes,  86 
Mayhew,  86 
Maynard,  y:^ 
Mayne,  99 
Mayo,  86 
Mayor^  a  84 
Mayston,  99 
Meacock,  65 
Mead,  112 
Meadowcroft,  124 
Meadows,  104 
Mea^in,  86 
Mears,  12,  104,  116 
Meatyard,   136 
Medd,  112 
Medlev,   198 
Medlic'ott,    198 
Meduard,  iSo 
Medway,  115 
Mee,  65,  80 
Mees,  142 
Meese,  142 
Meeson,  86 
Meggitt,  93 
Meiklejohn,  59 
Melancthon,  150  n. 
Meller,  164 


243 


^tellers,  147 
Mcllor,  25,  164 
Mellsop,   195 
Melton,  31 
Melville,  139 
Menzies,  29 
Mercator,  148  n. 
Mercer,  169 
Merrick,  33 
Merrill,  215  n.  i 
Merry  weather,  191 
Messer,  177 
Metcalf,  223 
Metzger,  150 
JNIew,  134 
Mewer,  150 
Mews,  134 
Meyer,  43 
Meynell,  142 
Miall,  88 
Mickle,  46,  210 
Middlemas,  40,  89 
Midwinter,  23,  89 
Mildmay,  195 
Miles,  80 
Mill,  80 

Millard,  39,  180 
Miller,  25 
Millett,  80 
Milne,  25 
Milner,  25,  164 
Milsom,  36 
I^Iilson,  36 
Milton,  31 
Milward,  180 
Minet,  50 
Minister,  ^,5,  120 
Minter,  173 
Mitchell,  46,  88 
Moate,  125 
Mobbs,  3 
Mollison,  2)7,  93 
Molyneux,  12 
Momerie,  12 
Mompesson,  139 
Money,  165 
Moneypenny,  201 
Monier,  173 
Monk,  163 
Monks,  147 
Monkton,  123 
Montmorency,  xjy 
Montresor,  139 
Moody,  208 
Moodyman,  5 
Moon,  165 
Moore,  2,  45,  98,   113 

216 
Moorman,   113 
Morant,  81 
Mordaunt,  212 


244 

Mordue,  203 
Morel,  215 
Morgan,  46 
Morley,  loi 
Morris,  46,  93,  98 
Morrison,  93 
Morrow,  90 
Morshead,   126 
Mortimer,  139 
Mortlock,  197 
Moss,  85,  113 
Mossman,  113 
Motley,  198 
Mott,  93,  125 
Mould,  93 
Moule,  93 
Mowbray,  12,  139 
Moxon,  93 
Moyes,  85 
Muddiman,  3 
Mudie,  208 
Miihsam,  207 
Muir,  113,  150 
Muirhead,  113 
MulhoUand,  67 
Miiller,  43 
MuUett,   136 
Mulliner,  178 
MuUins,  12,  132 
Mummery,  12 
Munday,'89 
Munn,  34,  165 
Murch,  210 
Murgatroyd,  48,  iii 
Murray,  215 
Murrell,  215 
Mushet,  221 
Muskett,  221 
Musson,  219 
Musters,  131 
Mutch,  210 
Mutton,  157,  223 
Myers,  54,  104 

Nabbs,  62,  84 
Nalder,  34 
Nangle,  34 
Napier,  6,  186 
Napper,   173 
Nash,  34,  105 
Nasmyth,  44 
Naylor,  44,   153 
Neal,  79 
Neame,  82,   193 
Neander,  150  n. 
Neate,  88 
Neave,  194 
Neil,  79 
Neild,  35 
Neilson,  26 
Neish,  212 


INDEX 

Nelms,  34 
Nelson,  26,  95 
Nend,  34 
Nethersole,   116 
Nettlefold,   105,  124 
Nevill,  138 
Nevinson,  194 
Nevison,  194 
Newall,  39 
Newbigging,  21,  133 
Newbolt,  133 
Newbould,  133 
Newcomb,  22,   106 
Newhouse,  21 
Newman,  22 
Newnham,  122 
Nightgall,  12 
Nightingale,  218 
Nind,  34,  126 
Nobbs,  62 
Nock,  34 
Noel,  89 
Nokes,  34,  105 
Noon,  90 
Norcott,  133 
Norgate,  128 
Norman,  97 
Norris,  20,  97,  185 
Norwood,  109 
Nott,  16,  30,  108,  210 
Nowell,  89 
Nugent,  138 
Nunn,  74,  162 
Nurse,  20,  185 
Nutt,   108 
Nutter,  178 
Nye,  34,  117 

Oak,  118 
Oakley,  103 
Oakshott,  no,  165 
Oates,  63,  79 
Oddy,  63 
Odgers,  80 
Offer,  15 
Ogden,  118 
Oliphant,  217 
Oliver,  79 
Oilier,  80 
Olver,  80 
Onion,  48,  67 
Onions,  67 
Orbell,  81 
Orchardson,  125 
Orme,  71 
Ormerod,  in 
Osbert,  69 
Osborne,  4,  69 
Oscroft,   124 
Osgood,  69 
Osier,  165 


Otter,  74 
Otterbum,  116 
Ottoway,  128 
Otway,  128 
Ovens,   134 
Over,  116 
Overall,   116 
Overbury,   116 
Overend,  116,  126 
Overland,  116 

Pace,  89 
Pack,  89 
Packard,  33 
Packer,  23 
Packman,  182 
Padgett,  89,  93 
Paget,  93 
Painblanc,  156 
Painchaud,  156 
Painleve,   156 
Paintendre,  156 
Pakeman,  182 
Palairet,  51 
Palliser,   181 
Pallister,  181 
Palmer,  15,  167 
Palsgrave,   145 
Pancoast,  89 
Pankhurst,    89 
Pankridge,   109 
Pannell,  4,  38 
Panter,  186 
Pantler,  186 
Paramore,   194 
Pardoe,  203 
Pardon,   163 
Parfitt,  29 
Pargeter,  175 
Paris,  15 
Parish,  15,  123 
Park,  32 
Parker,  23,  iSi 
Parkins,  32 
Parkinson,  6 
Parkman,  105 
Parks,  32 

Parmenter,  44,  170 
Par  mint  er,  171 
Parmiter,  171 
Parnell,   94 
Parr,  32 
Parris,  15 
Parrott,  32 
Parry,  32,  38 
Parsons,  147 
Partout,  191 
Pascall,  89 
Pascoe,  89 
Pash,  89 
Pask,  89 


INDEX 


245 


Patch,  89,  187 
Patchett,  89 
Paternoster,   155 
Paterson,  38 
Paton,  38,  63 
Pattison,  38 
Pauncefote,  201 
Pawling,  87 
Pawson,  87 
Paxman,   182 
Paxon, 182 
Paxton.  182 
Pay,  218 
Payn,  4 
Peach,  107 
Peacock,  21,  135 
Peake,  20,  107 
Pearce,  10,  29 
Pears,  10 
Pearse,  29 
Pearson,  10 
Peart,  208 
Pease,  155 
Peck,  20,  107 
Pedder,  181 
Peel,  132 
Pegg,  93 
Peggs,  93 
Pegram,  167 
Pell,  37 
Pellew,  139 
Pender,  181 
Penfold,  124,  135 
Penkridge,  109 
Penn,  135 
Pennefather,   194 
Pennell,  4,  38 
Penner,  181 
Penninger,  185 
Penny,  202 
Penrose,  67 
Penruddock,  67 
Penry,  38 
Pentecost,  89 
Pepper,  20,  36,  155 
Peppercorn,  207 
Pepperell,  207 
Peppiatt,  29 
Peppitt,  29 
Pepys,  29 
Percy,  6,  138 
Perkins,  32,  63 
Perks,  32,  38,  63 
PerowTie,  51,  60 
Perrett,  126 
Perrier,  22 
Perrott,  32,  63 
Perry,  32,  142 
Pescod,   155 
Peskett,  155 
Petch,  107 


Petitgas,  191 
Peto,  99 
Pett.  127 
Pettifer,  201 
Pettigrew,  201 
Pettingall,   33,  97 
Pettinger,  33 
Pettman,  127 
Peverell,  207 
Pew,  140 
Phelps,  87 
Philbrick.  31 
Phillimore,  36 
Phillips.  46 
Philp,  87 
Philpot,  62,  87 
Phipps,    87 
Physick,  123 
Pick,  20,  107,  219 
Pickard,  99 
Pickbourne,  107 
Pickersgill,  109 
Pickett,  107 
Pickford,  107 
Pickles,  39 
Pickwick,  107 
Pied-de-Lievre,  227 
Piedeleu,  227 
Piedoie,  227 
Pierpoint,  138 
Piggott,   107 
Pike,  20,  107,  226 
Pilchard,  227 
Pilcher,  171 
Pilgrim,  167 
Piller,  131 
Pillman,  132 
Pillsbury,  40 
Pim,  94 
Pinch,  136  n.  2 
Pinches,  136  n.  2 
Pinchin,  136  n.  2 
Pinder,  i8r 
Pinfold,  124,  135 
Pink,  40 
Pinner,   172,   181 
Pinnock,  219 
Pipkin,  29 
Pirie,  119,  142 
Pitman,  174 
Pitt,  127 
Place,  131 
Plaice,  131 
Plaistow,  122 
Piatt,  104,  113 
Platts,  104 
Playfair,  193 
Playsted,   122 
Plimsoll,  51 
Plowman,   163 
Plumb,  35 


Plumnier,  153 
Plump  tre,  97 
Pobgee,  135,  220 
Pochin,  vi 
Pockett,  222 
Pocock,  21,  218 
Poe,  21,  218 
Pogson,  93 
Poidevin,  99 
Poincare,  200 
Poindexter,  200 
Poingdestre,  200 
Poitevin,  9 
Pole,  99,  116 
Pollard,  223 
Pollock,  99 
Polwarth,  67 
Pomeroy,   11,   142 
Pomfret,  15 
Pond,  116,  135 
Ponder,  181 
Pontifex,   105 
Pool,  12,  104,  116 
Pooley,  116 
Poorgrass,  119 
Pope,  144 
Popjoy,  135,  220 
Popkin,  62 
Poppleton,  118 
Popplewell,   118 
Porch,   131 
Porcher,  131 
Porker,  23 
Porson,  87 
Port,  129 
Portal,  131 
Portch,  131 
Porteous,  136 
Portwine,  9 
Posnett,  30 
Postill,  86 
Postlethwaite,  112 
Pothecary,  176 
Pott,  34 

Pottinger,   33,   35,   176 
Potts,  34,  62 
Poulter,  15 
Poulton,  4,  116 
Pound,  97,  116,  135 
Povey,  221 
Powell,  66,  87 
Power,  99,  212 
Powles,  87 
Poynder,  181 
PojTiter,  172 
PovTitz,  136  n.  2,  142 
Poyser,  173 
Prall,  141 
Pratt,  212 
Prawle,  141 
Precious,  04 


246 

Precce,  141 
Premier,  213 
Prentice,   33 
Press,  162 
Pre  St,  162 
Prestage,  123 
Preston,  123 
Price,  46,  88 
Prickett,   216 
Pridhdm,   122 
Priestman,  64 
Prime,  213 
Pring,  213 
Pritchard,   66 
Probyn,  41,  62,  66 
Prothero,  66 
Proud,  32,  213 
Prout,  32,  213 
Pro  vis,  131 
Prowse,  213 
Prust,  vi 
Prynne,  213 
Puddifin,  99 
Puddifoot,  48,  201 
Pugh,  62 
Pull,  116 
Pullen,  vi 
Pullinger,  32 
Pullman,  64 
Punch,  136  n.  2 
Punshon,  136  n.  2 
Purcell,  222 
Purdey,  203 
Purdue,  203 
Purkiss,  32 
Purnell,  94 
Purser,  186 
Purvis,  131 
Putnam,  31 
Puttock,  74,  221 
Pyatt,  218 
Pye,  218 

Quaife,  198 
Quartermain,  200 
Quatrefages,  141 
Quatresous,  202 
Quelch,  19 
Quennell,  93  «. 
Quicke,  210 
Quiller,  171 
Quilliam,   65 
Quint,  211 
Quodling,  12 

Racine,  204 
Rackstraw,  206 
Radcliffe,  108 
Radley,  104' 
Rae,  223 
Ragg.  77 


INDEX 

Raggett,  77 
Raikes,  109 
Rainbird,  218 
Rainbow,  218 
Ralph,  22,  63,  70 
Ram,  135 
Ramage,  221 
Ramsbottom,  no  n. 
Ramsden,  110  n. 
Ranee,  3,  22 
Rand,  3,  22 
Randall,  22 
Rands,  3,  22 
Rankin,  22,  63 
Rann,  3,  22 
Ransom,  36 
Ranson,  36 
Raper,  31 
Raven,  135 
Rawlin,  63 
Rawnsley,  104 
Rawson,  22 
Ray,  30,  223 
Rayment,  72 
Raymond,  72 
Rayner,  73 
Raynes,  100 
Read,  74,  214 
Reader,  153 
Record,  123 
Redd,  214 
Redgrave,   no 
Redhead,  107 
Redknap,  107 
Redmond,  72 
Reece,  29 
Reed,  74,  214 
Reeder,  153 
Rees,  29 
Reeve,  164,  iSi 
Reeves,  147 
Reid,  74,  214 
Relf,  22,  63,  70 
Renard,  225 
Rennie,  66 
Renshaw,  no 
Renter,  158 
Reynell,  80 
Reynolds,  73,  74,  80 
Rhodes,  104,  127 
Rice,  156 
Rich,  63 
Richer,  82 
Richmond,  121 
Rick,  62,  74 
Ricketts,  63 
Ridding,  in 
Rider,  158 
Ridge,  109 
Ridler,   177 
Ridley,  104 


Rigg,  31,  109 
Rigmaideu,  195 
Rimmer,  187 
Riou,  51 
Ritchie,  63 
Rivers,  104,  115 
Roach,  140,  227 
Roadnight,  145 
Roads,  127 
Roan,  100 
Robb,  62 
Roberts,  46 
Robinson,  43,  47 
Robison,  38 
Rochford,  139 
Rodd,  74,  in 
Roe,  216,  223 
Roebuck,  135 
Roff,  22,  70 
Rogers,  46 
Roker,  185 
Rolfe,  22,  63 
Roller,  154 
Rollit,  79 
Rolls,  22,  79 
Romer,  167 
Romilly,  51 
Rood,  III 
Rose,  136 
Rosenberg,  55 
Rosevear,  67 
Rossiter,   99 
Rothschild,   135 
Roundhay,  105 
Rouee,  9,  21 
Rousseau,  21 
Rowbotham,  114 
Rowe,  8,  79,  12  s 
Rowlinson,  79 
Rowntree,  n8 
Rowsell,  214 
Roy,  216 
Royce,  94 
Royds,  in 
Royle,  33 
Rubinstein,  35 
Rudd,  74,  214 
Ruddock,  214 
Rudge,  214 
Rumball,  71 
Rumbold,  71,  72 
Runciman,   64 
Rush,  21,  99,  214 
Russ,  21,  99,  214 
Russell,  21,  214 
Rutter,  158 
Rycroft,  124 
Ryle,  33 
Rymer,  187 

Sacheverell,  156  n. 


Sackville,  139 

Sacristan,  166 

Sadd,  209 

Saiiit,   86 

St.  Maur,  10 

Sale,  4,  131 

Salisbiiry,   36 

Sallows,  118 

Salmon,  54,  8s,  22;,- 

Salt,   156 

Salter,  155 

Salvage,  211 

Samson,  85 

Sanctuary,  130 

Sandeman,  64 

Sanders,  62 

Sandys,   29 

Sanger,  166 

Sangster,  166 
Sansom,  36 
Sanson,  36 
Sargent,  32,   163.   1S3 
Sarkander,  150  «. 
Sarson,  98 
Sartorius,  105  v. 
Satterthwaite,   112 
Saucer,  176 
Saul,  4 

Saunders,  62,  82 
Savage,  2 1 1  ^ 
Savory,  119 
Sawyer,  148  ; 
Saxon,  98 
Saxton,   167 
Sayce,  216 
Sayer,  73  n. 
Sayers,  12,  73 
Saylor,   164 
Saynor,  145 
Scales,  133 
Scammell,   134 
Scattergood,  204 
Schlechter,  150 
Schneidewind,  205 
Schofield,  112 
Schulze,  43 
Schiittespeer,  191 
Sclater,  29 
Scoggins,  III 
Scorer,  152 
Scotland,  24 
Scott,  24,  96 
Scrimgeour,  175 
Scriven,  172 
Scrivener,  172 
Scroggins,  in 
Scroggs,  III 
Scrubbs,  m 
Scutt,  222 
Seabright,  73 
Seafowl,  75 


INDEX 

Seal,  131 
Seaman,  71,  164 
Seamer,  10,  44,   170 
Searle,  74 
Seeker,  170 
Secretan,   167 
Seeley,  209 
Seely,  209 
Segar,  12 
Se&e,  40 
Selig,  55 
Selinger,  34 
Sellar,  155,  175 
Sellars,  29 
Semark,  34 
Semple,  34 
Senior,  145 
Sent!}',  131 
Sessions,  100 
Setter,   153 
Severn,  115 
Seward,  75,  178 
Sewell,  73 
Sewer,  150 
Sexton,  167 
Seymour,  10,  34 
Shackloek,  206 
Shafto,  107 
Shakeshaft,  204 
Shakespeare,    191,   204 
Shannon,  165 
Shapster,  44,  170 
Sharp,  47 
Shaw,  45,  no 
Shaylor,  200 
Shearer,  170 
Shearman,  170 
Shears,  136 
Shearsmith.  44 
Sheldrick,  218 
Shepard,  39 
Shepherd,  178 
Sheppard,  39 
Sherlock,  206 
Sherman,  170 
Sherrard,  109 
Sherratt,    109 
Sherriff,  162 
Sherwin,  205 
Shilling,  202 
Shipman,  164 
Shipp,  136 
Ship  way,   128 
Shoosmith,  44 
Shoppee,  53 
Shore,  116,  129,  151 
Shorthouse,  198 
Shott,  222 
Shovel,  213 
Showier,  17S 
Shrubb,  m 


247 


Shufflebotham,  114 

Shurety,  185 

Shurlock.  206 

Shute,  128 

Shuttleworth,  123 

Sibbs,  75,  76 

Sibley,  94 

Sickelmore,  no 

Siddons,  94 

Sidney,  34 

Siggers,  69 

Siggins,  82 

Siggs,  75 

Silbum,  209 

Silley,  209 

Sillifant,  209 

Silverlock,  19S 

Simcox,  65 

Simister,  149 

Simmonds,  35,  74 

Simnel,  156 

Simons,  2,  29 

Simper,  34 
Simpson,  26,  35 
Sims,  26 
Sinclair,  34 
Sisley,  88 
Sisson,  63 
Sivier,  177 
Sixdenier,  202 
Skey,  211 
Skrimshire,  175 
Slack,  113 
Slade,  112 
Slagg,  113 
Slater,  29 
Slatter,  29 
Slayer,   153 
Sleigh,  210 
Slight,  210 
Slipper,   vi 
Slocombe,  106,  207 
Sloman,  64,  113 
Sloper,  41 
Slow,  113 
Slowley,  113 
Sly,  210 
Smale,  41  " 
Smelt,  226 
Smith,  18 
Smithson,   147 
Smoker,  41 
Smythe,  28 
Snape,   114 
Snell,  74,  210 
Snooks,  141 
Snowdon,  115 
Soar,  215 
Sole,  116 
Somers,  90 
Somerville,  139 


248 

Souiuiiscliein,   55 
Soper,  153 
Sorrel,  215 
Sotheran,  97 
Souter,  23,  151 
Sowerbutts,  156 
Spalding,  71 
Sparhawk,   75,  221 
Spark,  12,  75,  221 
Sparks,  221 
Speight,  219 
Speke,  219 
Speller,   187 
Spelman,   187 
Spence,  134,  186 
Spencer,  33,  186 
Speyer,  55 
Spicer,  2,  152 
Spick,  219 
Spiller,  187 
Spillman,   187 
Spilsbury,  40 
Spink,  40 
Spittle,  34 
Spittlehouse,  34,  131 
Spooner,  172 
Spragg,  212 
Spratt,  227 
Spring,  22,  90,  104 
Springett,    193 
Sprott,  227 
Spry,  212 
Spurling,   226 
Spurr,  136 
Squire,  33 
Stables,  134 
Stace,  i8 
Stacey,  18,  33 
Stagg',  135 
Stainer,  21 
Staines,   108 
Stamford,  117 
Stamp,  100 
Stanford,  117 
Stanger,  175 
Stangrave,  no 
Stanhope,  108 
Stanier,  21 
Stanton,  108 
Staple,  123 
Stapleton,  123 
Stark,  211 
Starling,  219 
Starr,  136,  219 
Stead,  18,  122 
Steer,  212 
Stelfox,  225 
Stennett,  87 
Stenson,  30 
Sterling,  97 
Stewart,  iSo 


INDEX 

Stiggins,  12,  23,   yy 
Stimpson,  87 
Stobart,  178 
Stock,   122 
Stodart,  178 
Stoer,  226 
Stoke,  122 
Stone,  108 
Stopford,  99 
Storm,  224 
Storr,  212 
Stott,  222 
Stout,  209 
Stow,  122 
Strafford,  117 
Straker,   175 
Strang,  31 
Strange,  12 
Strangeways,  7 
Stratford,  117 
Stratton,  127 
Straw,  155 
Streatfeild,  29,  112 
Stredwick,  127 
Street,    97,    104,    120, 

127 
Stretton,    127 
Strickland,  37 
Stringer,  169 
Strode,  no 
Stroud,  no 
Struthers,    no 
Stuart,   180 
Stubbs,  II,  105 
Studdart,  179 
Sturdee,  209 
Sturdy,  209 
Sturgeon,  226 
Stiurgess,  40 
Sturm,  224 
Stutfield,  139 
Stutter,  179 
Such,  II 
Suckling,  195 
Sugar,  12 
Sugden,  48 
Sugg,  222 
Sully,  30 
Summer,  90 
Summerfield,    139 
Sumner,  163 
Sumpter,  187 
Sure,  151 
Surtees,  104 
Sutcliffe,  108 
Sutor,  23,  105  n.,  151 
Suttle,  16,  29 
Swain,  10,  177,  222 
Swann,  135 
Sweet,  74 
Swindell,  106 


Swingler,   1 70 
Swinnert,   179 
Swire,  162 
Sword,   136 
Swyer,  162 
Sykes,  115 
Symons,  29 
S}Tiyer,  145 

Taberer,  155 
Tabernacle,  131 
Tabor,  155 
Tacev,  40 
Taddy,   84 
Taggy,  84 
Tait,  25,  75,  76 
Talbot,  224 
Tallboys,  205 
Tallis,  141 
Tamson,  31 
Tangye,  88 
Tankard,  12 
Tarbutt,  227 
Tardif,  207 
Targett,  227 
Tarleton,  123 
Tasker,  177 
Tassell,  221 
Tate,  25,  75 
Taylor,  43,  153 
Tebb,  4,  58 
Tebbitt,  4 
Tedder,  178 
Tedman,   16,  34 
Tegg,  223 
Teler,  44 
Telfer,  206 
Teller,  44 
Tellwright,  44 
Tempest,  224 
Temple,  131 
Templeman,    131 
Tennant,   146 
Tennyson,   14 
Terrell,  yz 
Terriss,  Si 
Terry,  Si 
Tete,  126 
Teufel,  86 
Textor,  14S  n. 
Thacker,  173 
Thackeray,  127 
Thomas,  46 
Thompson,  24,  35,  47 
Thoreau,  5 
Thomber,  122 
Thome,  119 
Thorold,  72 
Thoroughgood,  j'}) 
Thorp,  37,  ^22 
Thresher,  19 


Thripp,  40,   122 
Thrower,    187 
Thrupp,  37,  122 
Thunder,  224 
Thunichtgut,  204 
Thurkle,   39 
Thurtle,  39 
Thwaites,  105,  iii 
Thynne,  28 
Tibbald,  70 
Tibbies,  70,  95 
Tibbs,  4,  70 
Tickell,   39 
Tickner,   175 
Tidd,  75,  76,  87 
Tidmarsh,  113 
Tififany,   89 
Tiffin,  89 
Tigg,  75 
Tighe,  113 
Till,  24,  93 
Tillett,  24,  93 
Tilley,  24,  93 
Tillman,  177 
Tillotson,   24,   93 
Tillson,  93 
Tilly,  93 
Timbs,   110 
Tindall,  106 
Tinker,  174 
Tinkler,  174 
Tipler,  9 
Tipper,  153,  169 
Titchmarsh,  113 
Titheredge,    126 
Titmus,  219 
Tobin,  34 
Tod,  225 

Todhunter,   1S5,  225 
Toft,   loS 
Toll,  62 
Toller,  185 
Tollett,  62 
Tolley,  34,  62 
Tombs,  no 
Tomkins,   35 
Tomlin,  24 
Tompkins,  24,  35 
Tongue,  200 
Tonkins,    35 
Tonks,  35 
Tonson,  24 
Toogood,  204 
Tooke,  75 
Tooley,  34 
Toomer,  34 
Toon,  123 
Toosey,  18,  34 
Tootell,  106 
Tooth,    1-99 
Topliff,  108 


INDEX 

Torrens,  115 
Toulmin,  24,  37 
Tout,  40 
Tower,  21 
Towers,   100 
Towler,  185 
Town,  122 
Townroe,   128 
Townsend,  126 
Townson,  24,  125 
Tozer,  170 
Tranchevent,  205 
Tranter,  182 
Travers,   142 
Travis,  142 
Treadaway,  35 
Treasure,   153 
Treble,   14 
Tredgold,  206 
Tremble,  206 
Trent,  115 
Trethewy,   67 
Triggs,   75 
Trinder,   154 
Trinkwasser,   190 
Tripper,  179 
Tristram,  79 
Trollope,  108 
Troplong,  204 
Trotter,  185,  201 
Troutbeck,  115 
Trower,  187 
Trumble,  206 
Trumbull,  206 
Tubb,  4 
Tubbs,  4 
Tuck,  75 
Tucker,  170 
Tudor,  87 
Tunder,   224 
Tupman,    179 
Tupper,  179 
Turberville,  139 
Turbot,  73,  227 
Turnbuck,  206 
Turnbull,  206 
Turner,  44,  148 
Turney,  47,  100 
Turpin,  80 
Turrell,  72 
Tuttle,   106 
Twaddell,  106 
Tweddell,  106 
Twells,   34 
Twelvetrees,    141 
Twentyman,   191 
Twiss,  128 
Twitchell,  128 
Twitchen,  128 
Tyacke,-2i6 
Tyars,  98  n. 


MO 

Tyas,  vi,  7,  98 
Tye,  113 
Tyers,  98  n. 
Tyler,  45,  153 
Tyrrell,  72 
Tyson,  32 

Ulyett,  73 
Underwood,  104 
Unwin,  75 
Upjohn,  67 
Usher,  184 

Vandepoerenboom,  119 

Vanner,  31 

Varden,  100 

Vardon,  100 

Vamey,  142 

Vaughan,  48,  216 . 

Vavasour,  11 

Veal,  157,  223 

Veck,  33 

Veitch,  137 

Venables,  139 

Venn,  24 

Vennell,   128 

Venner,   31 

Venus,  83 

Verity,  197 

Vemey,  142 

Vernon,   138 

Vesey,  137 

Vicars,  147 
Vicary,  165 
Vice,  197 
Vick,  33  ! 
Vickers,   147 
Vidler,  31 
Vigers,  147 
Vigors,  147 
Villiers,  138 
Vince,  87 
Vincett,   87 
Vincey,  87 
Viney,  142 
Vingtain,   191 
Vinter,  41,  90 
Vipan,   138 
Vipont,  138 
Virgil,   83 
Virgin,   135 
Virgoe,  195 
Virtue,   197 
Vivian,  79 
Vizard,  72 
Vokes,  24,  61 
Vowle,  24 
Vowler,  24 
Voysey,  137    - 
Vye,  79 


250 


INDEX 


Waddilove,  207 
^Vaddy,  75 
Wade,  75,  76,  117 
Wadmaii,  170 
Wadsworth,  123 
Wager,  177 
Waghorn,  204 
Wagstaff,  204 
Wait,  185 
Waldron,  81 
Walker,  44,  45,  170 
Wall,  125 
Waller,  105 
Wallis,  19,  97 
Wallnutt,  69 
Walrond,  81 
Walsh,  19,  97 
Walter,  69 
Walthew,  y^ 
Waut,  197 
Ward,  45,   180 
Warden,  180 
Wardroper,  186 
Ware,  129 
Waring,  42,  80 
Warman,  73 
Warner,  81,  185 
Warnett,   80 
Wamuni,  122 
Warr,   129,   197 
Warren,  80,  124 
Warrener,   185 
Wastall,  156 
Waterman,  3 
Watmough,   195 
Watson,  3 
Watt,  3 
Waugh,  125 
Way,  128 
Wayman,  153 
Weale,  11 1 
Weare,  129 
Weatherhcad,  179,  227 
Webb,  148,  1O3 
Webber,  149 
Webster,   149 
Wedlake,   197 
Wedlock,  197 
Weech,  123 
Weight,  185 
Weightman,  153 
Weir,   129 
Weisspfcimig,   202 
Welch,   19 
Weld,   III 
Wellbelo\cd,  191 
Weller,  22 


Welleslev,   30 
Wells,  22 
Welsh,  97,  104 
Wennian,   178 
Went,   128 
Wesley,  30 
Westaway,  128 
Westray,  97 
\\'rstrupp,   122 
VN'halc,  226 
Whalebelly,  226 
Wheatstone,   108 
Whichello,  220 
Whisker,  72 
Whitbread,   156 
White,  i6,  47,  71,  214 
Whitciaw,   107 
Whiter,  149 
Whitfield,  112 
Whiting,  71 
Whitlock,  198 
Whitster,   149 
Whittaker,  112 
Whittier,  21 
Wich,  116 
Wick,  116,  123 
Widdows,  92 
Widdowson,  92 
Wigg,  57,  74 
Wiggins,  12 
Wight,  16,  214 
Wilkes,  38 
Wilkin,  63 
Will,  63 
Willard,   75 
Willcocks,  65 
Willett,  63 
William,  63 
Williams,  43,  63 
Williamson,  63 
Willows,  105 
Wills,  63 
Willsher,  99 
Willy,  63 
Wilmot,  59 
Wilson,  22,  47,  63 
Winbolt,   G9 
Winch,  129 
Windebank,  105 
Windle,  39 
Windus,  132 
Winfrey,  7^ 
Winkle,  vi 
Winship,  204 
VVinspearc,  204 
Winstanlcy,  69 
Winston,    69 


Winter,  41,  90 
Winthrop,  122 
Wisdom,  197 
Wishart,  72 
Wolf,  17,  55,  71,  190 
Wolmer,  73 
Wolsey,  69 
Wong,   114 
Wontner,   197 
Wood,  45,  109 
Woodall,  219 
Woodard,  180 
Woodger,  148 
Woodhead,  126 
Woodhouse,  132 
Woodroffe,  181 
Woodruff,  181 
Woodyer,  148  11. 
Woollard,  198 
Woollett,  73 
Woolridge,  73 
Woosnam,  30 
Wooster,   19 
Worster,  19 
Worth,  132 
Wragg,  77 
Wray,  29,  127 
Wright,  18,  44 
Wrightson,  147 
Wyatt,  63 
Wyberd,  73 
Wvche,  123 
Wyclif,  108 
Wvkes,  127 
Wyllie,  28 
Wyman,  64,  73 
Wynd,  128 
Wyndham,  31 
Wynne,  15,  216 
Wyiiyard,  124 
Wythe,  117 


Yarde,  124 
Yates,  124 
Yeatman,  124 
Yeats,  124 
Yeo,  118 
Yeoman,  162 
Young,  17,  47 
Youngman,  6-I 
Yule,  89 


Zouch,  II 
Zuckertort,  156 
Zwanziger,  191 


Frinted  by  HascH,  Watson  &  Viney,  Ld.,  London  and  Aylesbury,  England, 


14  DAY  USE 

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